Bonny Doon

Album review

Detroit's Bonny Doon make their album debut with this self-titled set of laid-back, melodic guitar pop fare that veers occasionally into lo-fi quirkiness. The quartet formed in 2014 around the songwriting efforts of guitarists Bill Lennox and Bobby Colombo who, along with bassist Josh Brooks and drummer Jake Kmiecik, issued a four-song 7" later that year on Michigan indie Salinas Records. Tonally, their early tracks fell in with the burgeoning lo-fi garage pop scene, though they also brought a distinctively mellow country element to the table. On their first full-length, the overall sound is cleaned up somewhat, resulting in a sunny roadworthiness complemented by Lennox and Colombo's affable introspections. High points like the hooky "Summertime Friends," the fired-up "Lost My Way," and the expansive slacker tone poem "Evening All Day Long" represent the best of what the Doon have to offer, melding thoughtful songcraft with digestible psych-dusted production. The addition of meandering, deeply scuffed instrumentals like "(You Can't Hide)," "Maine Vision," and "(Crowded)" come off a bit like unnecessary exercises marring the terrain. For the most part, though, Bonny Doon is a charmer, rambling contentedly down its lost highway of rickety guitar pop.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo