Album Review: Sugar Army - Summertime Heavy

West Australian's Sugar Army have returned following a three-year recording absence with their second LP Summertime Heavy, a twisting album that explores themes and offers instrumentation darker and more heavy than its predecessor, 2009's The Parallels Amongst Ourselves. The band supported the Smashing Pumpkins at Challenge Stadium in Perth a few months back and it's easy to understand why – these new songs are built for stadiums. With big floating choruses, densely layered guitars and a booming rhythm section keeping things honest in the backend, even through headphones these tracks sound massive.

The new edge that Sugar Army have applied to their sound gives it a certain mood and attitude. You can hear it clearly on powerful opener Future Spark as well as the taunting Moving Targets. There are particular nuances about Patrick McLaughlin's voice that really balance the tracks with fragility and fight, single Hooks For Hands a perfect example of the way his delivery allows his lyrics to rise and fall around the riffs and beats tackling each other head on. Title track Summertime Heavy is the outcast here, drifting along carefree and breezily, however it acts as a suitable bridging point before the album pushes towards conclusion, the high hat groove of Hearts Content setting the tone for the sharp and energetic latter stages of the record.

Although it doesn't have as many immediate singles as its predecessor, Summertime Heavy still does an admirable job of rocking out in a bold and uncompromising manner, and if you give the record the time and appreciation that it deserves, you'll be duly rewarded with some expansive and ambitious west coast rock.