★★½
Canadian lads Half Moon Run are back, using the same recipe that brought them success with their 2012 releaseDark Eyes.
Their new full-length venture Sun Leads Me On contains more of the four-part harmonies, coupled with some clean, crisp rim shots that we have come to know this band for. The question that remains here is, does Sun Leads Me On live up to the expectations that many held for Half Moon Run after their debut? Short answer: no.
Disappointingly, the album never seems to go anywhere – if this collection were a person, they would be the poor sod who didn’t get the memo about the party being fancy dress, and now have to endure the night in their conservative smart/casual get-up. Adding to the awkwardness is the inclusion of a number of blues-and-rootsy guitar solos that end up feeling clunky and tacked on.
Perhaps some of the most beautiful moments on the album are when it is stripped back to Dylan Phillips’ drumming and the vocal harmonies that Half Moon Run do so well.
It’s an album that serves well as inoffensive background music, but lacks the punch needed to catapult the band into the bigtime.
Sun Leads Me On byHalf Moon Runis out now through Indica/MGM.
