Montréal stalwarts The Dears release their eighth studio album. Lovers Rock. via Dangerbird Records. Their 2003 breakthrough album No Cities Left was a crepuscular, romantic soundtrack to uncertain times. 9/11. War. The looming economic crisis. Nearly two decades later, as Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak began work on Lovers Rock, the world’s mood felt eerily similar...

Talking about the project Murray Lightburn said: "There’s a direct line between the sort of doominess of No Cities Left and this album. You could go straight from Lovers Rock to No Cities Left and it’s like they're interlocked. But it's a different kind of doom. Around 2001, it felt like, ‘We have no control. We don't know what's going to happen next.’ Now it’s a doom that's within our grasp. It’s in the air. It’s between us. But we do nothing about it."

Surprisingly, for an apocalyptic LP, it's incredibly upbeat. As gloomy as the world seems at present, Lovers Rock is uplifting and instantly accessible. While there were many things I loved about this album, the one element that I totally fell in love with was the fact that on the first play through I really enjoyed ever track... and on repeat plays I felt like I was revisiting an old favourite album from my past.

There's an '80s / '90s indie vibe here that's difficult to ignore. It's perhaps not surprising that this is such a solid release, packed with memorable tracks, as this is their eight studio album. A wonderfully produced album that you'll want to revisit for years to come.

9

Nick Smithson