Most pop music is stupid, but fortunately for those of us who like smart music, there are artists like Bahamas. His music could be snarkily described as thinking person’s yacht rock. Bahamas’ last album, Bootcut, was recorded in Nashville in 2023. After returning to Canada, Bahamas decided to make his next album in his home studio. My Second Last Album was a two-person operation with co-producer and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Van Tassel. While all the songs are original with no covers included, unlike Bootcut, some like “The Bridge” were co-written with M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger. The sound on My Second Last Album is surprisingly fine despite using a home studio for production and recording. The music on the first track, “Sauna,” comes bounding out of my speakers like a happy puppy. Bahamas’ vocals are relaxed, natural, and easy to decipher. The carefully layered instrumentation features Bahamas’ excellent guitar playing. His lyrics feature such poetic high-wire feats as rhyming “fun guy” with “Hyundai.” Pop music is primarily outer directed, designed to appeal to the listener’s possible emotional needs and desires. Contemporary inner-focused pop music is far rarer than in the past. Bahamas bucks this trend. His music is a portal into his inner life that you can enter at will.