Toronto music stalwarts’ third album is a confident step forward.
The Sarandons are a Toronto-based band made up of Dave Suchon (lead vocals and guitar), Damian Coleman (vocals and bass), Edmund Cummings (vocals and keys), Craig Keeney (lead guitar) and Phil Skot (drums). Their third studio album, Long Way Home, arrives after a year of considerable airplay and various performances at Canadian music festivals, including Ottawa Bluesfest.
Long Way Home kicks off with the eponymous track, fast-paced and restless, and a good example of the band’s ability to craft songs that explore darker themes counterpointed by catchy choruses you can sing along to. The same can be said of the lead single, Deep End, a song that acknowledges difficulties while offering a glimmer of hope. In this sense, the album feels like a struggle between the weight of the past and the push toward a better future, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
At the halfway mark, you find Wrong Guy, an acoustic interlude in which Suchon’s vocals interplay with the guitar, falling into unison before diverging. It’s a delicate break that slows things down just before the final stretch, picking up the pace again with Tinkerbell. From the excellent main vocals and harmonies to the dynamic shifts and beautiful walkdown progression played throughout (listen out for the outro), it is one of the album’s most interesting songs.
Long Way Home is a tight nine-track album that’s radio-friendly in both track duration and overall sound. Still, there’s plenty of room for introspection, careful arrangements, and a high-energy guitar solo along the way. Additionally, for their latest release, the Sarandons are joined by Matt Kelly (City and Colour) and Miles Evans-Branagh, who contribute pedal steel and keys, respectively, adding a twist to the band’s solid formula.
