"Demo" is a funny word that can mean just about anything. Sometimes, a demo is a rough sketch that'll get fleshed out with different lyrics or better arrangements. But a demo can also be more satisfying than the "final product". It feels necessary to clarify that Demos 2014, the first release from Failed Flowers, shouldn't be approached merely as a set of sketches. The Ann Arbor indie pop band featuring Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me) and Autumn Wetli (Rebel Kind, ex-Bad Indians) come out the gate with a batch of beautiful recordings.-=-=-=-

The gorgeous harmonies of "Summer Vacation" shine, and there's a joyousness to the melody and lyrics here that's impossible to fake. They sing about playing make believe and happily basking in the summer sun (which, by the way, makes perfect sense for this particular band; winter was not very forgiving in Ann Arbor this year). There's an edge to the track that keeps them from going full-tilt into saccharine sentimentality. Failed Flowers are situated between the drive of punk—that opening guitar churn could've been ripped from a Fucked Up song—and the swoon of dream pop. It's a middle ground they occupy with authority.