Following the project's debut EP by a year,
In the Break is the first album by
Night Shop, a singer/songwriter outlet for established indie rock drummer Justin Sullivan. A member of
the Babies with
Kevin Morby, Sullivan also plays with solo
Morby, and the laid-back, rustic rock of the latter is a good reference point for what to expect here, as is the fact that
In the Break arrives via the Woodsist label. There's also an apparent early rock influence, especially on tracks like "The One I Love," which is rooted in a bouncy, rudimentary, '50s-styled rock, and the musically nostalgic "You Are the Beatles" ("…You are the voice in my head that says It can be done/You are Monty Clift in A Place in the Sun"). On that note, in terms of lyrics, it's an affable record that runs into friends and wistfully reminisces and values brief encounters (though it avoids them on occasion, too). Its mostly affectionate tone is helped along by Sullivan's subtly weathered voice and conversational delivery. A minority of the songs are more downcast, such as the sparse, languid title track and "The Ship Has Sailed," which features a mix of strummed acoustic and sustained electric guitar, heartache, and regret. It still doesn't break with the album's overall warmth, though. Of note to fans of each performer's own solo material, his backing musicians here include
Will Ivy on guitar,
Anna St. Louis on backing vocals, and
Hand Habits' Meg Duffy on bass. The latter also sings backup on "Here with Me Now," a love song about bumming around town and missing his partner. References to local movie theaters, bars, and standing in line at the convenience store ("Dawn is the Employee of the Month this month") keep even proclamations of love grounded in the everyday, and leave a lingering sense of people and places as much as hooks and melodies. ~ Marcy Donelson