There’s nothing grand-sounding about Beans on Toast’s skiffley anti-folk. But on his sixth album, the songwriter from Essex (also known as Jay McAllister) tackles some big subjects (alongside smaller ones): war and peace, gentrification, the pitfalls of touring, enduring friendship, chilling out.
His tunes are topical and jaunty, entertaining on first listen but less so after you’ve heard all the punchlines. Yet he gets in some good protest songs, among them the math-crammed sci-fi meat industry critique The Chicken Song and Stinging Nettles, a sweet banjo ditty telling kids to get out into nature.
What’s confusing – and ultimately a bit frustrating – is that the last few songs are longer and more fleshed out, giving room to McAllister’s conversational, gravelly drawl. If only the swinging romance of NOLA Honeymoon could have permeated more of the album.
Top track: Flying Clothes Line
Beans on Toast plays the Horseshoe on Monday (March 9).