The Whigs – Enjoy the Company

Garage rock revival vets The Whigs turn down the fuzz that was so prominent on 2010's In The Dark with the opening statement to their fourth album: Staying Alive is an eight-minute, nostalgia-fueled, horn-addled stomper fit for feel-good film montages. It nods towards the life-affirming American bands of the 70s, but it's also convincing as a genuine, heartfelt step forward for the Athens, Georgia, trio. Subsequent tracks continue to ride the soft rock train: Gospel turns up the southern flavour, and After Dark's light, warm melodies soothe the soul.

 

Parker Gispert's lyrics tread familiar ground: rock and roll, laying in the summer heat, true love, life on the road. These subjects – as well as the album's retro feel – threaten to collapse under the weight of their own clichés, but the strength of the songwriting and the passion with which they play consistently prevents this from occurring. Few bands in modern Americana can pull that off. [Ross Watson]