Never underestimate the ability of a good pop song to put a little sunshine into your day. Tuba Skinny member Max Bien Kahn works in that realm when outside of his regular band: on two previous albums (with the ad-hoc band Max & the Martians) he wrote about the COVID shutdown and romantic breakups, using buoyant pop tunes for reassurance. This official solo album is notably more upbeat and more fully produced—not every lyric is happy but there’s a prevailing sense of good vibes.

Bien Kahn is good with subtle but grabbing melodies; stylistically I thought of NRBQ more than once, especially when he adds jazz touches to a pop framework (the horn parts by a couple of Skinnies add spice, as do Esther Rose’s harmonies on most tracks). The album’s centerpiece is a trio of songs—“Morning,” “Afternoon” and “Evening”—that celebrate each time of day within a new relationship; the middle tune is the most rousing one with fuzz guitar and Beach Boys organ; the concluding one sets a romantic mood. The following song “Tie Me Up” is about sex, so that’s what they’ve apparently got planned for the nighttime.

There are a couple of songs about loss in the mix, including one with the touching line “What a time that we had/ But time ain’t what we had.” But for the most part, these songs are about appreciating life and love while you’ve got ’em. Tough to argue with that.