“Having eased back significantly since 2009's ambitious What Will We Be, Banhart draws from pre-Beatles concepts of pop and rock on Mala, and writes from distinctly non-punk perspectives such as loving with levity, and aging with grace.”
““Get on the dance floor” is not a phrase one associates with Devendra Banhart, but there he is, vaguely demanding it at the start of his seventh album. There’s no danger of the king of folkie beardos making a Harlem Shake video. But vintage drum-machine tup-tup and the occasional synth splash color on this return to form, Banhart’s first album since 2009 and his strongest set of songs since the ea”
