With their usual instinct to avoid the obvious, Dutch Uncles have reacted to guitarist Daniel Spedding’s departure by making their most guitar-lead record. The slick, relaxed textures of 2014’s O Shudder give way to spiky riffs and anxious rhythms while their cryptic lyricism preaches self-acceptance (“Big Balloon”) and equates dating apps to chicken shops (“Combo Box”). It’s as warm as it is intrepid, and the hooks on “Oh Yeah” and the title track are particularly indelible.
- 2011
- Field Music
- Jane Weaver