Reno McCarthy releases his new LP, Run Up River, via Balustrade. The album is a carefully crafted yet unfiltered take on themes like insecurity, frustration and solace. Most songs are dealing with love and lust but tend to focus more on the flip side of these usually positively portrayed topics; things like obsession, fear of intimacy and anxiety...

Run Up River comes on the back of the release of the album's singles 'Nightout' and 'Sundown'. 'Nightout' is an '80s throwback track with tongue firmly in cheek. 'Sundown' was one of the highlights for me, and reminded me of the later work of A-Ha.

If you've been following the release of the singles, you'll be relieved to hear that the rest of the album is just as interesting. As track after track rumbled on it soon became pretty obvious that McCarthy is spreading his creative net wide. The album's 10 songs (33 min, 49 sec) are diverse, yet none feel out of place.

'June' is another highlight, being slower and more laid back than the majority of tracks. The main thing I took away from this album - other than how rich and varied it was - was how much McCarthy's vocals reminded me of Morten Harket.

A good, solid indie release that you'll want to return to time and time again.

8

Nick Smithson