Abum Review – Bit of Brightness by Full Power Happy Hour (2022) (Coolin’ By Sounds)
If the indie-pop/Australiana based promise of the eponymous 2021 debut of Brisbane quintet, Full PowerHappy Hour, has been a tad usurped on this Bit of Brightness follow up by folk and alt.country tinges, the act have most definitely remained faithful to their original jangle-pop persuasions.
As such, the Lucinda Williamsinflected vocals of Alex Campbell provide a laconic glue that holds together the brilliance of tracks such as the title track, Measurements, Joan, Strong In Numbers and You Can Be Cold and merges them with the folky edges rather than clashes with them. It is a sound that is rarely attempted these days, but when the chemistry aligns, as it does with this quintet, it provides a vehicle for something exceptional.
If the above tracks benefit from forays into mid tempo that house the album’s most memorable riffs and melodies, then the slower tempo tracks perhaps provide the most refelctive moments of true beauty.
Here, Well Again, Twenny Twenny and Paper Boat sidle their way through introspective lyrics and lifes travails accompanied by plucked acoustics, chiming chunky slide guitar riffs and increased emphasis on all the best things that alt.country/folk has to offer.
A truly superb album, whereby the accomplished musicianship and lyricism displayed shows the potential for them to be relevant for many years to come.
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