The Way That It Was

Pierre de Reeder has been making indie pop magic with Rilo Kiley for more than a decade, playing bass as frontwoman Jenny Lewis led the band from small-time critics' darlings to mainstream success. Now, on his debut solo record, de Reeder takes center stage, playing sunny, retro-sounding folk rock that still manages to hit the Rilo Kiley thematic sweet spots of love and loss and vulnerability. In fact, songs such as "That's the Way It Was" call to mind nothing more than the charmingly wistful sound of the Elected, a side project for — go figure — de Reeder's Rilo bandmate, Blake Sennett.