Graham Price Gift Shop - Love is Whys

​Graham Price Gift Shop

Love is Why's
self-released; 2025

TOP ALBUM

By Dan Weston

Brooklyn’s Graham Price Gift Shop returns with Love is Whys, a full-length album that pushes their kaleidoscopic pop sound into a sort of reimagining of 50's pop. The record feels like the culmination of years spent honing a sound that merges vintage pop charm with modern eccentricity. You can hear the fingerprints of The Beach Boys and The Beatles in their melodic architecture, but also the irreverent playfulness of Foxygen and Tele Novella. The title itself, Love is Whys, gestures toward contradiction and curiosity.

The opener, “Cherish Love” featuring Alexx Becker, was enjoyable with its interplay between synths and guitar. I like how the song evolves, growing more playful as it unfolds. The synth melodies, in particular, add a quirky lift that makes it a standout introduction. “Home” follows with a lush, unmistakably 1950s pop feel. The mood recalls Lord Huron’s retro stylization but with a more theatrical bent. That vintage thread continues on “Lonely Too,” which drifts into a light surf groove, and “Blue Hours,” where the flamenco-style guitar and vocal harmonies create a kind of sun-faded teenage daydream.

“Em C” is one of the highlights for me. It sits somewhere between Youth Lagoon’s introspective haze and Panda Bear’s looping psychedelia. “Dolores,” featuring Steve Tarkington, reintroduces a bouncy surf rhythm, while “Come to Me, My Memory” brings in Alyssa Forte and Braulio Lin for a track that feels timeless, its female vocals recalling the golden age of AM radio.

“Chaz Adores,” with Lillian Ruiz, might be the most joyful moment on the record. It’s buoyant, catchy, and unapologetically pop. The penultimate “Oxytocin,” with Becker and Tarkington, plays with its namesake’s chemistry, while “We Fall in Line,” featuring Ben Jaffe, closes the album with a cinematic sweep and great horn work.

There’s no shortage of bands reinterpreting the nostalgia of 1950s pop, but Graham Price Gift Shop do a good job creating some variety. The arrangements are intricate without being fussy, and the songwriting carries real emotional weight beneath all the sparkle. Love is Why's is a solid and thoughtful album. Take a listen.

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