Spectreview: Curling – Definitely Band

-WITCH HAZE-

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“I live a love
Even when I know it isn’t true”

It’s the kind of thing you always hope you’d stumble upon when you commit yourself to scuba-diving in the ocean of underground music: a little-known record containing pure magic. Curling’s Definitely Band, released in the summer of 2018, is a veritable smorgasbord of ear-catching melodies smashed together by influences you rarely see working in such tandem. Platinum-quality power-pop from the likes of Big Star and Teenage Fanclub (Bandwagonesque in particular is an ideal comparison), art-rock adventurousness and Cap’n Jazz angularity are woven together into one kaleidoscopic tapestry of sound and color. Each track changes the trajectory, with something memorable and special baked into each: the wild saxophone solo blowing the opening sugar rush of “Still Green” wide open; the MBV-cribbing whammy strums of “Flutter”; even surprise Japanese lyrics courtesy of Naotoshi Tamaru on the elliptical “Four”. It all smacks of effort, but effort is what this kind of music demands.

For how effectively the record conveys pure passion, the most impressive part of this whole record is how smartly all of these parts move together to complete that task. Harmonies aren’t overused, and neither is additional instrumental accompaniment like upright bass and cello (which show up on the glorious light ray of “Home”). The sequencing works wonderfully, keeping the most melodically explosive tracks spaced apart between less ambitious numbers. The decision to mix and master in mono is a huge risk that pays dividends, adding both a classically smeared warmth and a fitting messiness to the album that augments its sense of place and time. And finally, there’s the inventiveness of the melodies themselves, a combination of classically power-pop chords and jazzy changes that keeps every song fresh. The big triumph here is “Radio King”; a three-and-a-half masterclass in heart-on-sleeve pop songwriting that, like the best contemporary rock music, has visible hooks in the past but still sounds very much like itself. That’s sort of how you could describe Definitely Band as a whole, but to do so would be overly reductive. Not just a step-up from their similarly diverse debut, it’s also quite simply one of the finest rock records to be released in the last few years in terms of pure pleasure. Do yourself a favor and lend it your undivided attention.

Highly recommended for the feels.

[Edit: A previous version stated the vocals on “Four” were by Naotoshi Tamaru. The vocals were actually done by Joseph Brandel, with Tamaru providing the lyrics.]