Semisonic rose to prominence with their album ‘Feeling Strangely Fine’, which was released in 1998 and spawned the hits ‘Closing Time’ and ‘Secret Smile’. Those songs have stood the test of time and are still regularly heard on TV shows and the radio 25 years later. The band followed up ‘Feeling Strangely Fine’ with 2001’s ‘All About Chemistry’ before going on hiatus. It would be 19 years before the band released any more music together and incredibly it’s been 22 years since they put out a full studio album. Frontman Dan Wilson has made a career as a hit songwriter for the likes of Chris Stapleton and Celine Dion, as well as producing for artists including Taylor Swift. Now Semisonic has finally released its long-awaited fourth studio album ‘Little Bit of Sun’.
So has a lot changed in 22 years for the band? Well there’s no doubt that this is definitely a Semisonic record. The minute you hear Wilson’s voice come in on opening track ‘Little Bit of Sun’, you’re transported back to the band’s 90s heyday. He has one of those immediately recognisable voices and that’s still very much what the band’s music is built around. In the album’s announcement press release, emphasis was put on Wilson using the acoustic guitar to base the overall sound around and that makes this record a little more mellow in parts than previous albums.
That doesn’t mean that the band can’t still rock out though. ‘Keep Me In Motion’, which falls in the centre of the record, is one of the highlights. It has that radio-friendly feel that helped the band’s biggest hits find success and it’s just damn catchy. The song is, however, the only moment the band truly lets loose on the record. The rest of the songs here have more in common with the low-key title track.
‘Grow Your Own’ is a nostalgic track, both lyrically and musically, that sounds straight out of the 90s while the under-stated ‘Don’t Fade Away’ moves the band into a sound that I can describe only as Sufjan Stevens meets Simon & Garfunkel. Elsewhere on the album ‘If You Say So’ has jangly guitars as the band looks back to yester-year, ‘It Wasn’t Like We Hoped It Would Be’ is a melody-driven moment of clarity where you figure out life isn’t what you expected, and ‘Only Empathy’ finds Wilson putting himself in someone else’s shoes as he offers comfort and support.
‘Little Bit of Sun’ is unmistakably Semisonic albeit a little older, a little wiser and a little more sedate. There’s plenty to enjoy here and while it doesn’t reach the highs of the band’s peak, it’s nice to hear new music from them. Wilson’s songwriting and his voice are as strong as they’ve ever been, but I did miss the rockier edge of the band’s music. Should you need something to chill out to, this album would be a pretty good choice.
Track list: 1. Little Bit of Sun 2. The Rope 3. Grow Your Own 4. Don’t Fade Away 5. All the Time 6. Keep Me in Motion 7. If You Say So 8. Out of the Dirt 9. It Wasn’t Like We Hoped It Would Be 10. So Amazed 11. Only Empathy 12. Beautiful Sky (feat. Jim James) Record label: Pleasuresonic Recordings Release date: 3rd November 2023 Buy ‘Little Bit of Sun’ now
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