Album Review: Curse of Lono - "People In Cars"

 

Now on their third album, Curse of Lono first came to our attention with their 2017 debut Severed which offered up a good dose of dark Americana influenced music similar to a British version of Lucero. They continued this form nicely on 2018's As I Fell but the group have been sailing through turbulent waters since then with singer Felix being the only remaining member of the line-up that played on the previous record.

Despite the personnel changes though, People In Cars is a pretty similar beast to its predecessors right from the moment the haunting one-two of Let Your Love Rain Down On Me and Think I'm Alright Now kick things into motion here. The fuzzy guitars, lonesome pedal steel, soporific vocals and general dark noctural air about the songs are definitely tried and true Curse of Lono hallmarks and they work well again here.

Truth be told, the group don't quite hit the bullseye every time here - sometimes the sleepy nature of the songs sees them drift into dullness such as on Steppin' Out, Don't Take Your Love Away and the sluggish So Damn Beautiful. But these are at least countered by the likes of the stark piano ballad Man Down or the Lou Reed goes countrified style Ursula Andress. Buy The Ticket Take The Ride also sees them paying tribute to the late great Hunter S Thompson, one of whose short stories they took their band name from.

Less of an album to rock out to and more one to listen to at 3am with a glass of whatever your poison is watching the stars out of your window, the quiet and slow nature of People In Cars might not be to everyone's taste but it strikes me as an album which you'll need to be in the right frame of mind to listen to but once you are, you'll find it's perfect to soothe your bruised soul.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑🌑 (7/10)

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