GoodTimes is one of those albums that immediately raises your expectations. The title of this Eagle and the Worm album promises positivity, and for the most part it delivers.
I must admit though, I wasn’t really sure when the opener “Summer Song” played out. Its name sounds upbeat and optimistic, but the tune while accomplished was also a bit more atmospheric and inaccessible than I’d imagined it. I could appreciate it as a standalone song, but it seemed like a really strange choice.
Thankfully things heated up with the second track, “Futureman.” Its summery feel, lazy slide guitar, and warm brass tones were exactly what I imagined when I saw the album’s title. “All I Know” continued that party vibe. It felt exactly like the sort of tune you might bust out after a few tequilas.
For me the disc took a turn for the worse with “Not Coming Home.” It really felt a bit too psychedelic for the rest of the recording. Perhaps it was intended to represent the point of the party where certain guests are dropping acid, but just as it’s hard to relate to someone else’s trip it was all a bit inaccessible for me.
“1 to the 4” brought the album back for me. It’s that perfect end of the party slow dance song, where after some liquid courage you finally find yourself in the arms of that person you’ve been eyeing all night.
GoodTimes is one of the most evocative albums I’ve heard in some time. Its tunes take me to places and evoke feelings, and that’s really a cool thing. But it’s sad that it kind of drifts off at the end. Perhaps that’s just representative of the way most parties turn out, but it seems a band should be able to sustain themselves on an album without resorting to fillers, particularly when it’s just ten tracks long.
Despite that though, I love this album’s organic, spontaneous feel. It was recorded in bedrooms and loungerooms, and that really shows. It’s a bit rough in places, but that makes it feel very honest.
I can imagine GoodTimes becoming my summer soundtrack. I don’t even like that season, but there’s an energy about this music that has me craving it.
Melbourne’s