'Salt' - Half Moon Run is Back at it Again

As most people know, Half Moon Run are my favourite band to grace this earth. That being said, I try not to be bias when new things come out - at least I try the first time round. With the singles they were releasing, I was prepared to be overwhelmed by how good this new album was going to be. I wasn't disappointed, thankfully, but I also wasn't as fulfilled as I had hoped to be.

By far, the songs on this album that were released as singles are the strongest songs on this album and arguably some of the best songs this band has ever released. It's very hard these days for me to stumble across an album, even if by some of my favourite musicians, that is perfect beginning to end - in other words, unskippable. Saying that though, HMR still know exactly what they're doing when it comes to constructing a beautiful album.

Sometimes, I don't even know what this band is talking about in their songs but I can still recognize their beautiful and unique lyricism from anywhere. Despite staying true to themselves through their sound, their topics and their variety in each song throughout the album, it was clear to me from the first single release that HMR have grown and are opening up a new world to us.

More than ever, Half Moon Run stay true to their Canadian background through their homebound nature aesthetic which has never really NOT been a part of their branding and imagery for covers and so on and so fourth, their hats and long coats remaining a big part of their identity.

For me, what lacked was the unique momentum through each song. Although remaining on-sound is a great thing for a band, I felt as if some songs blended into the other rather seamlessly - which may even be their goal. The singles were so varied and different to one another that I simply hoped that ran throughout the course of the album.

Ultimately, this is still an amazing album, arguably one of their best, and I'm so glad to be able to see these songs live later this year. If you haven't already, don't just listen to their new album - listen to all their albums.