Review

I've long thought of this record as B-sides to "I Could Live in Hope", mainly because the band seem to have generally kept a lot of things the same. Same producer, same studio... maybe a few small overdub embellishments on this one, but that's it. Not to say this record is bad, far from! It just doesn't really have the same kind of highs that their debut did. It's a solid vibe, but it doesn't ever break out into anything more than that.

I will however happily sing the praises of tracks like "Violence", "Below & Above", "Throw Out the Line", and "Caroline". They're all fantastic, but the rest just passes by pleasantly without really gripping me in the same way tracks on the debut have. Still overall, I'd consider this a very solid record from the band.

-- Ellie Hedge, 2025.12.11