Horse Thief's sophomore full length LP is more celebratory than their last record, the death obsessed Fear In Bliss.
The trials and truths of the album title are said to be inspired by their life on the road, love, relationships and home, which I guess covers just about everything.
Cameron Neal and his Oklahoma-based band claim to be happier with this record than their debut because they didn't feel it was so rushed. This begs the question why the playing time is a scant 36 minutes.
What we have here is conventional grown up boy band guitar rock. It is done pretty well but also feels quite anonymous.
They play everything straight with nothing of their proclaimed psychedelic influences in evidence. Very little explains why the quintet were recommended to Bella Union by The Flaming Lips
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The sentiments expressed in the love songs are fairly generic e.g. "There's something about the way you breathe" (Falling For You) and "I don't want you but I need you" (Little One).
It's not that they are going through the motions but there just seems to a lack of depth or emotional candour.
The opening track , Another Youth, promises more. Here they sound a bit like an American version of James and has a nice, jocular quality that isn't so evident in the remaining nine songs.
In short, it's decent but lacks ambition.
Horse Thief's website
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