Pacific Avenue earned two ARIA nominations for their 2023 debut Flowers, a throwback in both earnest pop-rock songwriting and affectionate 1960s influences. Lovesick Sentimental reconfirms the Gerringong, New South Wales outfit’s talent for penning tunes that casually stretch back across previous eras. Singer/guitarist Harry O’Brien wishes aloud to see The Rolling Stones in concert during the romantic “Love Bites”, while “Brown Eyes” proves knowingly Beatles-y and the yearning power pop of “Off the Record” recalls 2000s-era Nada Surf. Big choruses still come easily—see the refrain “No, I can’t help but loving you” on “Working Class Hero”—but this time they’re seasoned with more alt-country twang. And amid several sturdy songs about the complex relationships between friends and lovers alike, “Telescope” celebrates hitting the road with the car windows down and singing along to The Smiths. The scene may become less idyllic when the protagonist encounters one too many people who are only in it for the money, but that just makes driving around with mates feel all the more revitalising. For a band that arose out of quite a small town, Pacific Avenue seem to have knocked back music industry pressure and preserved the classic songcraft that first made them break out.