Without abandoning their drugged-out dream pop sound, Winnipeg's
Living Hour
made some adjustments when recording their third album,
Someday Is Today
, the follow-up to their
Kanine Records
debut,
Softer Faces
(2019). First, their drummer left, so bassist
Brett Ticzon
and guests including
Jason Tait
(
Broken Social Scene
,
the Weakerthans
) helped fill in on what ended up being varied drum parts. At the same time, other members are credited on multiple instruments this go around -- that includes lead vocals, with the group sharing the spotlight between core members
Gilad Carroll
Adam Soloway
, and
lead
Sam Sarty
(although they all sang backup on prior releases). The now-foursome also worked with a new batch of producers, among them
Jay Som
's
Melina Duterte
, who is featured on standout track "Feelings Meeting." A fuzzy, melancholy reverie, its lush, textured harmonics represent the high-density end of an album that's, on average, lighter and a little more acoustic leaning than its predecessor. The languid, sunshine pop-tinged "Exploding Rain," for instance, opens with gentle strummed and broken chords, harmonized vocals, and a drum pattern consisting of simple bass drum, hi-hat, and cross sticking, until things pick up for its warm chorus. The opening song, "Hold Me in Your Mind," forecasts such subtle folk-rock leanings with its dreamy mix of organ, spacy keys, and layered harmony vocal tracks, like
the Mamas & the Papas
on sedatives. It all stays grounded in earnest bittersweetness and steady tempos, however, even on a hazier, more hypnotic track like "Curve." By switching singers, drumming complexity, and stylistic approaches (check out "December Forever" for gear-shifting '90s sadcore or "Miss Miss Miss" for unexpected claves),
is unfocused in more ways than one, but its mood locks into the late-summer twilight. ~ Marcy Donelson