Canadian band Port Cities's music is a perfect balance of Nashville (where much of it was recorded) and Nova Scotia (where the band reside); of the rustic and atmospheric, of indie intimacy and arena-pop anthems...

Port Cities's self-titled album is a masterclass of balance and focus. It's not just the songs that provide an equilibrium of musical order, the way in which the tracks are presented also make it pleasing to the ear.

Comprised of a trio of celebrated Nova Scotian musicians Carleton Stone, Dylan Guthro and Breagh MacKinnon, Port Cities fuse divergent styles and experiences into such a singular rootsy Americana sound. From MacKinnon’s silky jazz-schooled timbre, allied to Guthro’s R&B influenced natural tendencies and Stone’s acoustic troubadour.

The album contains 12 songs (41 min) and, as you continue to play the album, over time different tracks will stand out. Some you'll instantly get on with, whist others take a while to warm to.

Personal favourites include 'Back to the Bottom'; 'Sound Of Your Voice'; 'How To Lose You'; and 'Half The Way'. But then this is an album that works best as a complete package, rather than taking out individual tracks.

Play it loud. This is the album that in the future will remind you of the summer of 2018.

9

Nick Smithson