Since the early 1990’s Lou Hallwas has been rocking the Steely Dan vibes in Chicago. They added a new bass player, Gary Stier, in 2015 and there’s a new album coming on Black Friday called It’s All Too Beautiful. This is their first full-length in over 5 years.

The first single The Differents released for the new album is actually a reworked (and in my opinion much better) version of the song “Your Prettiest Face.” They added a nice horn arrangement to add some depth and a layered vocal singalong that makes it like a “Sweet Caroline”-style anthem. It cuts off a bit abruptly, and I think there could still be some expansion done on the track…maybe for the next album. You can hear it here.

It’s All Too Beautiful has a good sound to it. The production is slick but not overly polished. The vocals are pushed out to the front so the lyrics are nice and clear but they never make it so you can’t hear the other instruments.

On Wednesday, November 21st, The Differents are headlining a show at Schubas with The Safes, Baby Money & The Down Payments, and The Marcatos. Tickets are $12 and you can get them here.

The album comes out this Friday. You can pre-order it digitally or on vinyl on their bandcamp page.