A good debut of melodic, laid-back americana, with words that reflect well the realities of life.
“Daylight Heart Moonlight Soul” is the first album from Belfast-based Slow Autumn, although they have previously released a couple of singles, ‘Wash Me In The Fading Light’ and ‘Lean into the Night’. They say their music is for fans of Wilco, Jason Isbell, and John Moreland, and this is a good starting point, though it is a little gentler in reality. It is laid-back americana, with, for example, the lead guitar, piano and keyboard heard in many tracks not being pushed to the fore. The melodies and choruses in the songs are good, and the relaxed sound is a pleasure to listen to. You can imagine that they would give a live audience a decent night out.
The band say that they are influenced by Dylan, and you can hear this in some of the melodies, though their music is easier on the ear than his. Springsteen is another influence, and this is very apparent on their most vigorous track, ‘High Class Woman’, which builds up a fabulous momentum. You can imagine The Boss belting out the chorus to a full-capacity stadium. Here, they are more like their singles, which are rockier than the album.
Vocalist Andy McClenaghan writes the songs. He is concerned with ordinary lives, honouring both the beauty but also the challenges of them. His words reflect the realities of people’s existence very well. He starts the album strongly with ‘Daylight Heart’, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean and towards Canada. The stunning view of the sea and sky reminds him of the past that has made him, and so brings him peace.
He urges a positive mindset on the next three tracks. ‘Hush Brother’, with its strong chorus, has him telling himself to be thankful in times of self-doubt: “Pushing back against the lies that seep in through my ears and eyes”. The theme continues on ‘Gone Too Far’, with its nice lead guitar work, where he urges himself to “Reach a better frame of mind/ In all that dirt there is a treasure”. Then there is ‘Running Red Lights’, with another good chorus, where he urges: “We all have doubts, and we all have fears, just don’t let them conquer you”.
The second part of the album marks a change of musical pace, with a couple of piano-based almost-ballads, ‘Young Blood’ and ‘Wake Up In Another World’, but also the Springsteen-like track mentioned earlier. There is also a lyrical change in that relationships come more to the fore. ‘Not A Heartbreak’ has a relationship hitting hard times, but urging his partner to keep going with it. ‘Stars On Summer Nights’, with keyboard rather than piano, is a touching love song to his partner, despite their ups and downs, “Ten years in and we’re stronger than before /In ten years’ time we’ll be stronger than we’re now”. This theme is continued on the final track, ‘Wake Up In Another World’, where he tells his partner that she is the only one for him despite their difficulties.
This is a good debut, both musically and lyrically, that will be enjoyed by fans of mainstream americana. You hope that the group will continue to grow and produce more good music in the future.
