Deep, reflective alt-americana that certainly rocks.
Ain’t Never Moving On marks a new chapter for the band. It is their first album in almost a decade, and it is certainly well worth the wait. With ten new songs, it feels like a very mature album that bowls along very nicely indeed while still having a pleasantly reflective feel about it.
Having formed in Victoria. They cut their teeth in the bars across Canada with their particular brand of jangly guitar-driven, tougher americana and quickly got a reputation as ‘dive bar warriors’ with a crowd-pleasing blend of rockier songs and a number of slower ballads.
This collection of songs may be slightly more reflective and possibly less high-energy, but make no mistake: it rocks along very nicely indeed, especially on the numbers that contain some very classy driving saxophone playing provided by Andrew Greenwood.
The lead single ‘Dreams On TV’ was interestingly described by “Analogue Trash” as a track “that stirs melancholy and sits somewhere between Lamchop & Springsteen”. Peter Gardner shares the vocals with Charlotte McGee, and it tells the story of a couple’s worn-down acceptance of where their relationship currently stands. It’s very nicely delivered and a clever piece of writing.
The track ‘Carol’ jogs along very nicely and is quite poppy before going into an unexpected slightly distorted instrumental interlude. ‘While I can still remember’ is much slower than the rest of the tracks, which benefits from some pleasant harmonica playing. It certainly has more than a nod to Tom Petty about it, which is in no way a bad thing.
After a ten-year absence and with the addition of some new collaborators, Hawk and Steel have produced a very agreeable alt-country album indeed which will undoubtedly benefit from a number of listens. It certainly has that quality that you would expect from a band that have definitely paid their dues in all those dirty bars. Worth checking out.
