Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: The Trews - "Civilianaires"


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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Rock 2025

  Alright, I've got some explaining to do.   By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but:   a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2016: Solo Artist Nominees

Artists who stand alone, who put their name on their album jackets and assume full responsibility for the art they give to the world, exhibit a kind of bravery that I've always admired. It takes courage to stand on that proverbial stage in solitude; this year's nominees faced varying degrees of challenges, but they all shared the desire to stare down the criticisms and expectations of every other individual they shared the air with and exclaim, "Don't worry. I've got this." Your Year in Rock 2016 nominees for Solo Artist Recording of the Year are:
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2024

  So, how weird is it to post a Year in Rock 2024 write-up a year late? Honestly, this is just for posterity; with a post to wrap up 2025 possibly posted by the time you see this, I couldn't stand the gap that would otherwise be present. I'll have more to say, but will wait until the Year in Rock 2025 post to say it. Instead, I'll just dive right in with the list. This will be the least exciting Year in Rock post you've ever seen.   25. The Smashing Pumpkins - "Aghori Mhori Mei" 24.  Japandroids - "Fate & Alcohol" 23. Pearl Jam - "Dark Matter" 22. Cheekface - "It's Sorted" 21. Kim Gordon - "The Collective" 20. High Vis - "Guided Tour" 19. Acid Mammoth - "Supersonic Megafauna Collision" 18. Microwave - "Let's Start Degeneracy" 17. IDLES - "TANGK" 16. Jerry Cantrell - "I Want Blood" 15. Chat Pile - "Cool World" 14. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard ...
Post a Comment
Read more