Dirty Heads - Swim Team

Swim Team catches Dirty Heads at their sunniest, an Orange County record built for open windows, cold drinks and long summer evenings.

Released in 2017 as the band's sixth full-length album, it arrived after more than a decade of blending reggae, hip-hop and alternative rock into something distinctly Southern Californian. For this one they brought in a handpicked crew of collaborators, including Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome, Jonas Jeberg and Oren Yoel, and the result is one of the tightest, most hook-driven records of their run.

Vacation is the obvious calling card, a breezy, carefree anthem that found a whole new audience in 2021 when it took off on TikTok. Celebrate, featuring The Unlikely Candidates, stacks a big singalong chorus on a bouncing groove, while So Glad You Made It brings in 311's Nick Hexum for a laid-back, sun-warmed duet between two generations of the same scene. High Tea, with Jordan Miller, keeps the mood loose and easy.

At around 35 minutes, Swim Team never overstays its welcome. Eleven tracks, no filler, all of it designed for the backyard speaker or the drive down to the coast.

On black vinyl, it's the kind of record that sounds like the weekend has already started, and it rarely leaves the turntable once summer arrives.