WATERS – Out in the Light

When Port O’Brien severed ties earlier this year, ending a solid (albeit unspectacular) run, Van Pierszalowski wasted no time upping sticks to Oslo, recruiting a band, and chucking together Out in the Light in a ten day burst.

WATERS (the caps are important, apparently) is broadly stabled with Pierszalowski’s past work, but with extra bite: invigorating opener For the One’s fuzzy punch recalls the much-missed Jay Reatard, while Brendan Benson flickers through the crunchy power-pop of Take Me Out to the Coast.

The latter's title indicates an occasional lack of imagination (see also: San Fransisco, Back to You) while the falsetto refrain in closer Micky Mantle is annoyingly mawkish, but they don’t upset a solid introduction. Out in the Light feels like a transitional record – a testing of the WATERS, so to speak – but find a patch of sunshine to sit in, and it’s just the ticket. [Chris Buckle]