The melancholy months are setting in, but Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin aren't ready to let go of the summer vibes just yet. This is their fourth record of feel-good indie rock and finds the band at their most inviting.
The appropriately titled "Back in the Saddle" is aptly placed at the forefront of the set and it instantly grabs and stuns. It's a summer anthem as anthemic as they come, but with a sly, progressively structured backbone. It definitely gets this LP off to a jump-start and shows that this is a band that want to be heard at this stage in their career. "Sink/Let It Sway" doesn't let the quality standard slip either, with its clean guitars, keyboard melodies, and a truly irresistible chorus. SSLYBY have their influences close to their hearts throughout this release - the overall vibe captures the mood of the laid-back catchy, guitar-driven indie acts of the 90s. Think Pavement with less of the mid-tempo jangling and more of the enthusiastic vocal hooks.
"Stuart Gets Lost Dans Le Metro" marks a surprising shift, at least temporarily. It sets a refreshing and gentle melancholic mood for the first moment of Let It Sway's second side. It comes in with a flurry of keyboard stabs and acoustic guitar with soft, solemn vocals. It glides along quietly like the current transition from Summer to Autumn, and it's probably the most memorable moment on the album just because it is such a notable and successful gear shift.
The rest of the album returns to the familiar territory established in its first act, which is something of a pity given the promising style the band had just hinted at. This would be more of a well-rounded record if it had more of a balance between moods. Still, they do the power-pop stuff well. "Phantomwise" sounds like something Weezer could have come out with in the mid-90s, and yes, we've heard it all before, but when it's done so well it proves pretty hard to turn down when you're in the right mood. Let It Sway is primarily focused on positivity, and it suits SSLYBY well here. They sound comfortable.
Let It Sway knows what it is and mostly goes for it with successful results. It's rare that an album so conventional can still stop you in your tracks a good few times along the way, so this may well be the answer if you're looking to fight off your seasonal-affective disorder with some strong, energetic melodies. Who knows, it could well be your soundtrack to next summer.
"Let It Sway" is out now on Polyvinyl.
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