Gracetown
Island City Records
San Cisco’s first EPs and their self-titled debut album of 2012 depicted a band with a unique ability to make the most of their opportunities and turn them into real success by good old-fashioned hard work and canny management (other than the odd shotgun injury to the foot, of course). And while there is still a very young feel and sound about the band, their second LP, Gracetown, shows that they have furthered themselves down the pop road, growing in sophistication with every step.
Essentially, the themes are the same as we have previously witnessed – love longed for and lost. The first single and album opener, RUN, indicated that while the exuberance of previous singles such as Awkward remain, the sensibilities have moved on, so that songs such as Too Much Time Away, Super Slow and About You evoke a more weathered approach lyrically, with some intricate work under the surface in terms of percussion and backing vocals. Jordi Davieson and Scarlett Stevens are in excellent vocal form, whimsical yet often philosophical, with The Preatures’ Isabella Manfredi guesting in most effectively on the trip hoppy Jealousy.
Gracetown shows a band capitalising on their pop strengths yet opening up their stylistic range all at once. The icing on the cake is where they could go from here.
★★★★
BOB GORDON
