Album Review Band of Horses - Things Are Great

Band of Horses’ first record in six years teeters between the anthemic and milder scores that powered their initial appeal. Ben Bridwell’s gossamer vocals lead a revival of reverbed guitar sequences and revitalised songwriting, primed by confessional opener ‘Warning Signs’ in a cycle of optimism and reflection. The South Carolina-based five-piece’s desert-hued harmonies take centre stage once more, country-veering melodies upscaled with a renewed emphasis on staple rousing build-ups and slow-burning yarns. ‘Ice Night We’re Having’ zones in on the album’s part-autobiographical nature, a reversion to crisp chords and pining sentiment that elsewhere carries the easy-breezy soft rock of ‘In Need of Repair’. An extended gap since their last full-length outing has resulted in their sharpest raft of material since ‘Cease to Begin’.