As the side gig of guitarist Matt Mondanile, Ducktails is likely to be inextricably linked to Real Estate for as long as time goes on—and there’s probably nothing Mondanile can do about it. It even seems slightly unfair considering Ducktails developed mostly at the same time as Real Estate. But now Real Estate is the popular, jangly Jersey pop band we hear about, and Ducktails is sort of the deep cut listen. This might prove to be the downfall of Ducktails.

It also doesn’t help that Ducktails’ sound has grown to resemble that of Real Estate. Take the project’s latest, St. Catherine (Domino Recording Co.), as a prime example. The record is cohesive only in its vibe, with back-to-front breezy melodies. St. Catherine is so chill that it could be used as an argument that chillwave can be made with little to no synth. Mondanile sings about how a “nine to five” isn’t for him in “Headbanging in the Mirror,” while “Into the Sky,” “Surreal Exposure,” and “Heaven’s Room” sound just as washed out as their titles imply. The approach of St. Catherine matches that of any Real Estate record, without that band’s intricacy and cohesion.

St. Catherine is assuredly easy listening, and its few bright moments come in the record’s instrumental cuts: “The Disney Afternoon” and “Krumme Lanke.” Without lyrical context and human voice, Mondanile flourishes and truly showcases Ducktails’ potential by crafting a steady flow with true imagination and nuance. It wouldn’t be surprising if these songs and extended versions of other cuts from the album shred in kaleidoscopic manner live. As with similar quandaries when the bigger act overshadows the side project, it begs the question of whether or not St. Catherine would succeed without Real Estate. All signs here point to an indecisive answer, as it seems Mondanile doesn’t entirely know what he’s going for here.