With collaborators such as
Anna St. Louis and
Hand Habits'
Meg Duffy returning from the project's full-length debut,
In the Break,
Flat Worms drummer Justin Sullivan (formerly of
the Babies and
Kevin Morby's backing band) recommits to a reflective, affectionate mix of retro-rock and
Dylan-descended indie folk-rock on his
Night Shop follow-up,
Forever Night. It finds him joined by additional personnel including
Spoon keyboardist/guitarist Alex Fischel,
Pet Symmetry's
Evan Weiss, and
Mirror Travel drummer Tiffanie Lanmon. Lending unneeded further indie cred to the project,
Woods'
Jarvis Taveniere co-produced the album with Sullivan. Split between livelier tracks with driving rhythms and slower mediations, one of the album's more memorable examples of the latter, "For a While," is a swaying duet with singer/songwriter
Jess Williamson that examines what it means to feel at home. A tangible sense of belonging and location is another returning feature here, with Sullivan taking in crowded music venues and all-night restaurants, then flicking on old noir films back at home. Meanwhile, some of the tracks sport titles like "Pensacola, Florida," "Slow Dancing at the Wax Museum," and "At the Opera," a song that takes the form of a reverb-heavy dream rock. While
Duffy plays bass on several songs,
Hand Habits is officially featured on the more nostalgia-minded "Just to Get Home," an organ-accompanied waltz that updates the '50s prom slow dance. Alternately, "Let Me Let It Go" picks up the tempo for a horn-injected rock & roller that begs listeners to roll down the windows and crank up the volume.
Forever Night doesn't really cover new territory, but that can be welcome for a project that emerged with well-defined influences and engaging songs out of the gate, and with the right amount of tunefulness, vulnerability, and feel-good spirit to encourage repeat listens. ~ Marcy Donelson