“From The Beach Boys and The Zombies toGrizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes, nothing makes a pop song sunnier than layer upon layer of vocal harmonies. In “Promises,” The Morning Benders’ members stack up vocals that flow like a much-needed summer breeze. With its tone of youthful regret and lost innocence — “They say it’s only natural … but I kept thinking we grew up too fast” — the song draws more than just its dense sound from Brian Wilson. Both yearn to hold onto childhood amid the inevitable progression to (and through) adulthood.

Amid a propulsive bundle of hooks and harmonies, singer Christopher Chu pines for days in the sun – he’s hovering between a youth he still remembers and an adulthood that, for all its benefits, comes with a hint of lost promise. Fortunately for Chu and The Morning Benders, “Promises” signals a bright future ahead, even as the ravages of age beckon.”