During the past decade, Real Estate have emerged as one of the indie-rock world’s most dependable acts, making jangly, pop-infused songs that would’ve felt right at home in 1976. That sound has certainly become a constant so—like with their 2017 release In Mind —on their fifth album, The Main Thing , they’ve consciously added a few sonic twists to the mix. And, this time, frontman/guitarist Martin Courtney is looking inward more than ever. On the yacht-rock- leaning lead single “Paper Cup,” Courtney explores aging in the face of his chosen profession—playing in a band. “You’re trying on new fits/ I’m on the same bullshit/ But you know I love it and can’t seem to quit,” he sings over lush strings and backing vocals from Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath. “Falling Down” and “Shallow Sun” both flirt with a British shoegaze sound made famous in the ‘90s by bands like Slowdive and the Cocteau Twins. And, yet, the band remains true to form on cuts like the driving, uplifting “November” and guitarist Julian Lynch’s psychedelic “Also a But,” which boasts a nice, noodly guitar solo as the song winds down. Two instrumentals find their way toward the end of the record, “Sting” and “Brother,” the latter of which closes out the offering. At first, it might sound like an odd placement, but they actually feel rather timeless in terms of this band’s trademark sound. With The Main Thing , Real Estate have seemingly perfected—with both their arrangements and subject matter—their ability to approach their dreamy, nostalgic musings in an entirely new way.