IN REVIEW: The Trews - "Civilianaires"

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After capping their first decade with a tight, focused self-titled album, The Trews have taken their time following up their strongest effort in years. Arriving more than four years later, their sixth album finds the band adding a bit of gloss to their sound while attempting to maintain the rock charm that they've built their career on to this point.

It's a mostly successful endeavour; by aiming for glossy rock instead of edgy pop, Civilianaires doesn't sound as jarring a sidestep as it could have. Songs like Vintage Love, Time's Speeding Up and the title track are most effective at conveying their new direction without sacrificing their fundamentals, and all three will most likely excel in the live setting.

The album's more experimental-minded and pop-infused moments come off with mixed results; the Def Leppard-recalling Leave It Alone, the nocturnal and gritty Harder to Love and the lighthearted love song Up Sweet Baby all use strong hooks to overcome their increased musical sugar content. On the other hand, the Trump-baiting The New US feels a little slight among the sea of Trump-baiting songs in recent memory, and the synth-riddled Bar Star comes up a little short on excitement.

There are a couple of really strong numbers hidden on Civilianaires' B-side; No More Saying Goodbye is a rather trite song about staying connected to an ex via social media, but as a song it's put together expertly and sticks out due to its harmonies. Then there's Amen, a gospel-tinged acoustic ballad that treads familiar ground for the band but excels in its simplicity, and kind of makes you wonder why The Trews keep playing with all of these new styles when they bang out songs like this that are firmly in their wheelhouse (I know, bands want new challenges, I totally get it; just saying).

All told, Civilianaires is a perfectly serviceable Trews record with a few minor missteps that tempered my enjoyment just a bit but weren't deal breakers. It won't be challenging Den of Thieves as my favourite Trews record any time soon, though I doubt The Trews are as interested in going back or staying pat as they are in moving forward anyway.

September 14, 2018 • Cadence
Highlights Harder to Love • No More Saying Goodbye • Amen

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