Album Review: Hockey Dad - Blend Inn

Blend Inn starts off flat. My Stride, despite its confidence, is a dull, by-the-numbers guitar-pop routine. It's You Am I if they were raised on Coogee Beach, but entirely without teeth. Although the big choruses and swelling vocals are enough to get your attention, it's not enough to hold it. Fortunately, things get better.

Danny is a late-'90s gem, a subtle nod to the gravelly, reverbed stargazing of cult pop acts like Jebediah. It circles a simple central hook and has a rough elegance that feels leagues ahead of songs that incorporate far more noise (eg I Wanna Be Everybody). Danny glides effortlessly into Join The Club, a riveting doubling down on what made us fall in love with these guys the first time 'round. It's a bristling track with a lead foot, hurtling towards a mid-album lull. Again, simplicity is key. Instead of faffing about with wandering chord patterns, the guys knuckle down and wring out as much as they can with a dynamic rhythm section and a strong central idea.

Blend Inn contains the best and worst of Hockey Dad's burgeoning career, and will probably prove to be a pivotal moment looking back at the end of a hopefully long road for them as a band.