LAUGHING, BECAUSE IT'S TRUE

What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding? Apparently lots. Montreal-based Laughing's debut album, Because It's True, is the band's "honest attempt at inviting you in on the cosmic joke." Joke or not, Because It's True has been one of the more pleasant surprises for me this year. Taking cues from indie rock bands from the 90's and early 00's such as Fountains Of Wayne and Built To Spill, Laughing has crafted eleven guitar driven pop-rock gems that sparkle with energy and positive vibes. 

 

 

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RAY LAMONTAGNE, LONG WAY HOME

You know it's Ray LaMontagne as soon as he starts singing. His voice is unmistakable. Yet, his music has not always been the same. For twenty years LaMontagne has journey in may musical directions. I remembered the first time hearing Till The Sun Turns Black, LaMontange's follow up to his wildly popular debut album, Trouble, and being surprised at the right turn he had taken. The singer-songwriter vibe had given way to something more moody, layered, and rich in tone and tenor. 2016's Ouroboros, saw LaMontagne going even farther away from his early days, diving into Pink Floyd' like psychedelica. 

Long Way Home, LaMontagne's ninth albums is a return to a simpler form. It's a welcoming album that quickly draws you in and caries you away to a space that feels timeless. LaMontagne has not sounded this great in years.

 

HONNE, OUCH

Over the past 10 years the UK art-pop duo Honne have reached impressive heights notching up more than three billion streams and selling more than 200,000 tickets for headline shows around the world.  On their new, fifth, studio album, OUCH, James Hatcher and Andy Clutterbuck have written, recorded, and produced an album informed by shifts in their own lives. 

"When I was younger, I joined my school orchestra cause a girl I liked played the flute. I didn’t even read music at the time so was quite out of my depth." Andy Clutterbuck

Following a narrative that begins with a teenage crush and closes with the responsibilities of family life, OUCH is an album full of image-rich and charming songs that will put a smile on your face and a hop in your step.

ANDREW COMBS, DREAM PICTURES

Andrew Combes opens his new album, Dream Pictures, singing ”Eventide, the time of plenty. No crushing blows, no bended knees. We froze our tongues with our emotions. Woke up when world falls asleep.” Of the passage and song, Eventide, Combes said he likes to think of it as a sort of the thesis statement of the record. 

“It's an ode to my wife and our life that we've created. And I wrote most of these songs in the evening after the kids had gone to bed. And it's the time of day where my wife and I can each be ourselves, not just parents, you know? And we get to connect with each other and then do our own thing. I tend to go to our garage and paint or write. It's an ode to that sort of golden hour of the day.” 

It’s a beautiful passage sung with a lightly place piano, base, and drums all which seem to float on Combes words. It sets the stage and tone for the forty majestic minutes of Dream Pictures that follows. This sixth album of Combes is my favorite to date.

LAUREL LEWIS, LAUREL LEWIS

Laurel Lewis sounds well beyond her years on her self-titled album. Growing up in Appalachia, Lewis saw the struggle of those around her. She also experienced her own growing up in an unstable household. Her parents loved her, but not always well and not always how she needed them to. It forced Lewis to grow up fast, and often left her feeling painful and with overwhelming emotions without the tools she needed to address them. So she wrote them down.

For so long, Lewis has said that she didn't enjoy her life. She felt miserable and anxious and questioned the reason to keep going. But she says that "everything gets better in the morning. Everything always gets better when the sun comes out. Equipped with her words and music, Lewis looks to shine a light on the things that try to hide in the darkness. It's a warm and healing light and it's a beautiful thing to experience.

 

KID KAPICHI, THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Hastings, UK band, Kid Kapichi, has been on quite a ride over the past five years. With their social commentary on daily life in Britain, these self-proclaimed "beat punks," have grown in popularity and stature. On their third album, There goes The Neighbourhood, the band leans further into spotlighting the political landscape that has impacted that daily life. 

“Three terms and a potential fourth of Tory rule is enough to ‘inspire’ any band. Brexit has been the icing on the cake, and touring through it has been an experience. Seeing how our police and others around the world have protected those in power and behaved with impunity, as the right-wing legislations of our governments have become more and more radical and common, has been pretty shocking. To see how we’ve let this happen and given up our civil liberties, it is honestly scary. A lot of these thoughts have inspired the album.” Jack Wilson, lead singer.

Kid Kapichi's rough, punk sound and catchy songs are the perfect package to deliver their acid-tongued lyrics and biting commentary. The album pulses with energy, blending gritty guitars and relentless drums with anthemic hooks that make their messages impossible to ignore. Tracks like Party at No. 10 and Rob the Supermarket channel raw frustration, but beneath the anger lies a defiant call for unity and resistance. The neighbourhood may be going down, but this band is clearly on their way up.