The country rock collective are set to release their sixth studio album this coming Friday! As already big fans of their music, we’ve been excited about this one since it got announced. Add to that that the single or two I’ve heard is great, and it’s made this album an absolute must-listen for us! Oh, and add to that the truly beautiful artwork, and this is already set to be a release to remember. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
The album opens on a chilled-out southern rock riff; the guitars setting the tone and the drums and bass following suit excellently. Isaac’s vocals fit seamlessly over the top, keeping the mood and tone relaxed and steady. It rather surprisingly explodes into a catchy, rockier chorus, reminding me of a Darius Rucker kinda sound in the best ways. Having said that, it also fits the vibe of the rest of the song perfectly. The lyrics are excellent for it too, both catchy and packed full of emotion. And the bridge, while simple, has some fun little guitar lead runs, channelling the bands Southern rock roots fantastically. And it drops back to just vocals, piano and some quiet guitars after, giving the track some great dynamics before it bursts back into that awesome final chorus. It’s a great way to open the release, establishing the mood of the album perfectly.
‘Bluebird’ adds a bit more blues to the proceedings, surely intentionally a little punny. Having said that, it still keeps the generally slower pace from the opener, especially with the acoustic, lower verses. It’s all builds perfectly to a massive, arena-filling country rock chorus, one that once again reminds me of that early 2000s sound. And not only that, but we get an epic, Aerosmith-esque bridge and lead bit separating the choruses perfectly. This is a really excellent track, and one that easily makes our playlist. I’m honestly shocked it wasn’t a single, but it could easily be one after release, it would do great as a radio country-rock track!
Speaking of singles, their cover of ‘Changes’ is banger of a ballad. It works surprisingly well as a southern rock song, and is only one of my favourite versions (and there are many) of the track. Honestly, Isaac is probably the best singer to have performed it, in this writers opinion. He puts so much passion and emotion into every line, clearly being a fan of the original. And instrumentally, it works perfectly, the organ, drums and guitaring carrying the somber tone amazingly. It’s interesting to have it placed so early in the album, but it fits rather well alongside the previous songs, so it’s hard to complain!
Songs like ‘All Around Me’, ‘All Over Again’ and ‘Bringin Home the Bacon’ are more tracks that fit in with the opening few. All are boot stompin’ country rock bangers in their own right, with ‘All Over Again’ being a particular personal highlight. And, while I have grouped them together to make the article easier to read, it does also reflect that the album is so similar. It is both impressive that it’s so cohesive, but also makes for an ever so slightly harder listen, at the very least when reviewing. It doesn’t make any of it bad per se, but does make my tiny-attention-spanned brain a touch less likely to listen to them all, especially when they are all so close together!
‘Slowly’ is a beautiful, acoustic-based track that honestly I can’t get enough of. From the simple arrangement that builds perfectly throughout to some of the best lyrics on the release to that chorus that’ll be stuck in my head from day to come, everything about it is amazing. And those vocal harmonies, GODDAMN. It’s easily one of my favourite tracks on the album, and may be up there alongside my top songs from the band in general, honestly. This is definitely one to check out if you are going to dive into any! A damn worthy single!
‘Oh Savannah’ is another beautiful slower song, while ‘Pardon Me’ is another incredible, catchy southern rock track designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world. Both are great in their own right, but the latter in particular is another huge highlight of the album! And then, just like that, we reach the end to this surprisingly short release with ‘Heavy Chevy’. It’s another good song, giving off Whiskey Myers vibes massively with the vocals. The double track on them was an interesting choice that pays off massively, and once again Isaac puts on one hell of a performance. It builds perfectly through the acoustic stuff into a distorted, rockier second half, the dynamics being fantastic. We even get some awesome duelling guitar solos in the middle, feeling very Skynyrd in the best ways possible. Somehow it’s yet another huge highlight track on an album rather filled with this. It’s also the perfect, truly epic way to close the release, and is another song that’s up there alongside my favourites from the band as a whole!
Overall: This is a great release! It’s a damn good country/southern rock album, jam packed with some real amazing tracks. While it does take a slight dip in energy in the middle, both the start and end are phenomenal, providing some of the best tracks I think the band have ever put to tape. If you are at all a fan of the band or the genres in general, this is well worth a listen! I’ll certainly be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come, that’s for sure!
Overall: 9/10