The soft vocals and intimate guitars & percussion of this Winnipeg duo, made up of Jonathan and Randall Hildebrand, is one of those sunny day treasures. The easy comparison is Nick Drake on uppers with a little hope, but it’s more akin to the Inbreds or the poppier Lou Barlow stuff. The six songs that make up the group’s second EP have great harmonies (“The Long Term”), sparse percussion (“Hinterland”) and lyrics that don’t jump out at you , warranting multiple listens. It’s a treat to discover the subtleties in these songs, especially when everything builds up to “Contraire”, which is about as close to controlled chaos as the pair gets.

Published in Volume 68, Number 6 of The Uniter (October 10, 2013)