• Courtesy
• Justin Levinson, Collamer Circle

(Self-released, CD)

Sometimes it seems like Vermont musicians are just standing by the tracks, a bindle perched on their shoulder as they wait for the first train out of town toward bigger markets. That's not a criticism, mind you — building an audience in the second-least-populous state in the country can be a thankless task. But for every musician planning their exodus, there's usually a boomeranging artist returning to the Green Mountains to show off what they picked up abroad.

It's been a while since Vergennes-born Justin Levinson played music in his home state — eight years, to be exact. But with Collamer Circle, Levinson returns both to music (his last full-length, Yes Man, came out six years ago) and to the scene where he cut his teeth before moving to Los Angeles in 2015.

Levinson returned to Vermont in 2019. Just as the pandemic was breaking out in 2020, he started writing songs regularly with Ben Patton. The fellow singer-songwriter, formerly of the duo Muller & Patton, possesses similar gifts to Levinson: a penchant for earworm melodies, British Invasion-loving songwriting and an erudite power-pop sound. They also both grew up with musician fathers: Bob Levinson and Will Patton, respectively.

Collamer Circle is the result of that songwriting partnership. It's an album brimming with clever, meticulously arranged and recorded songs that serves as Levinson's finest hour. From the Elvis Costello-leaning album opener "Madeline for the Win" to closer "Tuning Out and Plugging In," Levinson goes from strength to strength on the 14 songs. His lyrical whimsy remains, dropping lines just on the jagged edge of cheesy — "No one can be your cookies and cream, your partner, your dream, your everything," he sings on "No One Can Be Your Everything." But he never quite lets things get silly.

The record is impressively varied. "California Sun" vamps and swaggers like a summer hit, while "Lead Me to You" could be a lost XTC B side. As Levinson's wordplay has grown more sophisticated over the course of his five records, so has his ability to flesh out his songs. The summer jazz and tongue-in-cheek humor of "Mirabelle" offers a classy clarinet alongside the vocal melody, and Levinson fearlessly adds the sounds of gunshots and horses to fill out the sonic character.

Patton does double duty, serving as coproducer on Collamer Circle with frequent Levinson collaborator Adam Popick. Their work, as well as the mixing and mastering from guitarist and producer André Maquera, leaves the album sounding as pristine as the songwriting.

Levinson's past records have all had gems. But there were also moments of lag or repetition, perhaps marks of a songwriter who hadn't reached his full potential. Whether the missing ingredient was his years away or his newfound songwriting partner or just a growing confidence in his own abilities, Collamer Circle represents a leveling up for Levinson.

The album is available now on all major streaming platforms.