The Racquet Club
The Racquet Club
(Rise Records)
4/5
Anyone who has followed Blair Shehan through his bands Knapsack and The Jealous Sound knows the man is an incredible songwriter, and writes incredibly powerful melodic indie/rock tunes. Now, Shehan is back fronting The Racquet Club, with Samiam guitarist Sergie Loobkoff in the lineup as well, which can only mean one thing: it’s going to rule.
Sure enough, the combo of Shehan and Loobkoff proves to be a winner: opener “Caldwell Park” packs a deceptively heavy punch but still delivers Shehan’s very unique take on longing and nostalgia: “Don’t you remember when we were young?/We were punks and skins and metalheads/and there are things that we would learn” he sings in the song, his voice as on-point as ever. “It was the summer I turned 15.”
Elsewhere, “Blood on the Moon” displays haunting and moving melodies, and “Blue Skies” delivers hope through melancholy. Every one of the 10 songs on this album is a winner; Shehan has delivered once again, not that any of us doubted him for a minute.