On their second full-length, Half Moon Run lure us in with woozy, sun-drenched gem Warmest Regards, whose 60s good-times vibe and thick harmonies recall another (Fab) four-piece. Throughout the record, the Montreal dream pop musicians wear their influences on their sleeve, and this works for and against them. They’re never quite rip-off artists, adding enough new blood to steer clear of imitation territory, but also sometimes end up dangerously close to alt-pop status quo.
Take Consider Yourself – its verses are so reminiscent of State Trooper that someone might owe Bruce Springsteen money, but the band uses that calm as a springboard to explode into a rollicking, fist-pumping ending. Songs like Everybody Wants and I Can’t Figure Out What’s Going On teeter constantly between forceful crescendo and restrained beauty. None hit the mark quite like The Debt, slinking along in a hypnotic lull before melodramatic guitar builds to epic, fleeting heights.
Half Moon Run’s embracing of bands they love (Radiohead, large swaths of Montreal’s breakout mid-00s scene) make much of Sun Leads Me On sound familiar. But it’s not so bad to be visited by old friends.
Top track: The Debt
Half Moon Run play the Mod Club December 17.