Blend Inn

Album review

Australian indie rock duo Hockey Dad emerged in the summer of 2016 with Boronia, a highly likable if somewhat unassuming debut that introduced fans to the fuzzed-out garage pop of lifelong pals Zach Stephenson (vocals/guitar) and Billy Fleming (drums). Arriving a year and a half later, the band's follow-up, Blend Inn, shows a logical progression of maturity as the two friends age into different sets of problems without losing their sense of fun. Where Boronia portrayed Hockey Dad as carefree skate and surf punks with a slacker sensibility, Blend Inn adds a bit more angst into the mix as they explore themes of social anxiety on highlights like "I Wanna Be Everybody" and the delightfully punchy "Join the Club," each of which takes the album's title as a literal concept. Recorded and produced by John Goodmanson (Sleater-Kinney, Death Cab for Cutie) at Robert Lang Studios outside of Seattle, Blend Inn sports a distinctly '90s vibe with more emphasis on beefy fuzz and slacker pop tones and less of the surfy garage twang that marked their debut. That said, it's not so much of a jarring shift from the previous record, and Stephenson still knows his way around a pleasing melody. Without too much in the way of obvious overdubs (some bass, additional guitars here and there), Hockey Dad use their instrumental limitations to make a bigger racket than ever, doling out massive riffy fare on tracks like "Disappoint Me" and the fun Courtney Barnett meets grunge rocker "Sweet Release." With the added tightness there is also a greater sense of nuance, both within the arrangements of heavier songs and in mellower ones like the hazy bummer ballad "Whatever." Hockey Dad still aren't out to change the world, but they do what they do well and aren't afraid to evolve within their chosen parameters.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo