Laid back indie-rock
New York mob Second Dan have a touch of power-pop in their guitar based indie-rock sound which is probably what makes them so listenable and on opener ‘Today’, (which has a pleasantly open guitar sound and a sweet tune), brings on comparisons to Nada Surf; this comparison fades away on next track ‘Angeline’, however, the tunes stay crisp and melodic throughout, there is something really likeable about the laid back feel on this record, the expressive and versatile vocals are great and there are plenty of little quirks to keep you interested, like the great bass line and ‘ooohs’ on the more rocky track ‘Let It Go’.
Half of this album feels like it was written for summer evenings; tracks like ‘More Than The End’ echo and float, gentle lyrics and soft guitars that open up towards the end into a more emotional finale and the other half has foot stomping rock tunes like the aforementioned ‘Let It Go’, the cracking tune ‘Pretty’ and ‘Wake Up’ which is reminiscent of ‘Loaded’ era Primal Scream. The two sounds sit together easily though with no awkwardness and it’s a cohesive experience overall.
The atmosphere on “Angeline” is kept bright and breezy for the most part; these are simple indie-rock tracks played really well and with catchy tunes; at only nine tracks it feels quite short but this only serves to make you want to come back for more.