SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YUKON BLONDE – FRIENDSHIP & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

YUKON BLONDE
FRIENDSHIP & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
DINE ALONE RECORDS

Yukon Blonde’s seventh full-length effort, Friendship & Rock ‘N’ Roll, is a short and sweet record which highlights the band’s ease in songwriting within their safe, snug, alternative rock parameters. Though no song exceeds four minutes on the 11-track LP, some tunes have solid hooks that resemble the catchy nature of the Canadian five-piece’s body of work.

Lead single and opener “Colour of My Dreams” evokes an old-school rock ‘n’ roll sentiment similar to what The Sheepdogs have been bringing to the Canadian music scene for the last few years. “Keep On Breaking My Heart” feels like a familiar Yukon Blonde tune, with a poppy chorus, shaking tambourines, and a driving drum beat. Tinges of The Beatles coarse throughout the record, especially on “Phaedra” and “One of These Days” where yearning, harmonic vocals are met with insistent electric guitars. Album highlight “I’ve Got Yours” marries the fun grooves from Yukon Blonde’s most ambitious effort, Vindicator, with the emotive pop of On Blonde.

“Waiting on a Call” is destined for singledom, with that Tom Petty sentiment woven into a catchy, sing-along chorus designed for live shows. “This Night” also makes a strong case for itself with its pleasantly effective chorus, chanting “that’s all there is/You, me, and thiiiiiis night.”

Corniness can sometimes seep into the songwriting, like on second single “Adore You”, where the chorus painstakingly shouts “A-D-O-R-E”. Taylor Hickson duet, “That Girl” is another miss, often sweet but middling.

While the songwriting is not elaborate nor inventive, the record is undeniably easy to listen to, delivering what its title promises, as it sounds like a handful of pals jamming out in an unpretentious way. Friendship & Rock ‘N’ Roll doesn’t seem fussed with diversifying itself from the current rock ‘n’ roll playground, however. But, for a late-summer record in Canada’s fairly quiet music scene, “that’s okay, that’s alright”.

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