The brand new album from Aidan Leclaire Band, Hail to the Canine impresses with its alt-rock immediacy and poignant thematic introspection — taking specific inspiration from George Orwell’s Animal Farm and its allegorical critiques of totalitarianism. The band, based mostly in Washington, D.C. and Northern VA, labored on the album with producers Ben Inexperienced (Ivakota Studios) and Nico Laget (Candy Spot Studios), who assist channel a seamless sound depictive of life’s simultaneous chaos and fragility.
“The album is supposed to really feel uncooked and soiled, but additionally stunning,” the band’s frontman, Aidan Leclaire, says. “I wished it to mirror how messy and fragile our lives will be, and the way even in that chaos, there’s one thing price holding onto.” Opening monitor “Good Boy” invigorates in its lyrical reflections of discovering goal, and finally emphasizing in that valuing of life. Whirring guitars and a punk-ready rhythmic presence complement vocals that steadiness discovering one’s goal with the comparative ease of embracing escapism, because the riveting vocals conclude in planning to “stroll off this earth to seek out one other residence.”
The following “She’s Electrical” captivates with a moodier total arsenal, melding twangy guitar delights with a soothing vocal warmness — exuding a way of perseverance in its “keep on” chorus, and persevering with to convey the invention of self in its shows of an actress accustomed to placing on “totally different faces.” A fervent rock strategy returns on “Discover Me,” withs it catching hook — “do you want me now?” — being fondly paying homage to late ’90s and early ’00s power-pop/rock hybrids, a la Weezer and Rooney.
One other standout monitor arises in “Is This All There Is?” — the place dreamy guitar jangles pair with “gonna change” vocal aspirations, as a relationship-in-tumult is artfully emitted. “Why does it all the time really feel this difficult?” the vocals marvel, exhibiting shades of The Replacements in its pleasing shifts from subdued vulnerabilities to ascending emotion. “Greatest Good friend” comes subsequent and dazzles in one other aesthetic totally, embracing a starry-eyed balladry with swooning vocal harmonies that complement a smitten lead vocal presence. Whistling and comforting vocal layers mix for an particularly memorable send-off.
Album finale “Darkish Days, Lengthy Nights” is a hypnotic, meditative gem that wraps up the discharge with resonating affect. The title-touting chorus combines with conversational vocal results as twangy guitars bolster the textured total enchantment. It’s one other piece of high-quality songwriting on an album that constantly envelops with its combination of melodic approachability and thematic ruminations on self-discovery and a society in flux. Hail to the Canine is a radical success from Aidan Leclaire Band.
