Arriving six years after 2016's
Why Are You OK
,
Band of Horses
' scrappy sixth album,
Things Are Great
, feels like something of a homecoming. In several ways it represents a classic point in the narrative of many a veteran rock act: the mid-career, back-to-basics album that sees them revisiting what made them special in the first place. When
first emerged in the latter half of the 2000s, their melodic and slightly rugged indie rock was built around the idiosyncratic vocals of
Ben Bridwell
, a dynamic frontman whose unplaceable style seemed to fall somewhere between anthemic punk and Appalachian. Originally based in Seattle, the two
Phil Ek
-produced albums they made for
Sub Pop
--
Everything All the Time
and
Cease to Begin
-- connected squarely with the indie zeitgeist of the time, propelling them onward to a major-label career, a Grammy nomination, and collaborations with big names like
Glyn Johns
Rick Rubin
. Tonally,
sounds like it could have been made in 2009, before the group's dalliances with country vibes and lush pop spurred them into new arenas. That said, there's a natural maturity to much of the material, now written from a more reflective point on the timeline. "Not a long time ago when I knew all the answers, I couldn't pace myself or raise my standards" sings
Bridwell
on "Crutch," a classic bit of propulsive indie rock with a big, beating heart. Likewise, "Lights" and "Ice Night We're Having" are jangling rockers with an infectious energy that was somewhat lacking on their two previous releases. Stripped of some of their later sonic ambitions,
play to their strengths here on what feels like a solid return to form. ~ Timothy Monger