Canadian wunderkind Jeremy Abboud returns in his Rockyts band guise on a campaign to bring ‘color and imagination’ back to popular music. His first installment is the new single “Wonder” and it’s pretty, well, wonderful. The song opens with a Nicky Hopkins “She’s a Rainbow” piano flourish before settling into a cocoon of light orchestral pop motifs, punctuated by striking, break-out instrumental asides and a very Brian Wilson bridge. This is a promising hint of what is surely soon to come from The Rockyts’ (as yet unannounced) third LP. What it signals is another impressive stylistic leap from Abboud whose first album Come On and Dance was so beat group circa 1965 while his second Parkwood Manor shifted to a more 1980s new wave sound. While we don’t know exactly what might be in store for us on album #3 we do have the band’s one-off single from 2024 as a tip off, the very garage-rock “A Girl Like You.” Or maybe not. My gut tells me Abboud’s current theme is more sunshine pop than sweaty rock. He’s (pleasantly) surprised us before so all bets are off until the record actually hits the shops.

Check out everything Rockyts and Abboud at his online real estate here where you can also sign up for early distance warning about any future releases.