It’s easy to dismiss Christian Wargo and Casey Wescott’s band Poor Moon as simply a Fleet Foxes side-project, but this group should not be reduced to spinoff status. Although Poor Moon’s ambitions are tempered more than Fleet Foxes, this band has some interesting ideas of their own. Their new single “Holiday,” which will appear on the group’s forthcoming self-titled LP, is a breezy, bossa nova influenced piece with a gentle melody that is not unlike the Vampire Weekend song of the same name. The vintage production and shiny electric instrumentation are refreshing displays of originality, but those lush harmonies are undeniably Fleet Foxes. I’m that Wargo and Wescott recognize what makes their work in Fleet Foxes so enthralling; “Holiday” indicates that they know better than to stray too far from a formula that works.

Poor Moon is out August 28th on Sub Pop.