Burning Sand mixes the roots of folk and bluegrass with their alt.rock, whereas That’s On You fully leans into the indie and alt side of their sound, full of twinkling guitars post-chorus. Seething brings something different, with the tuned-down bass thudding away before the song slowly builds and breaks. And with a beat that wouldn’t be amiss in a jazz club, Backup Plan tackles the idea of being a smaller band that needs to work more than one job to support themselves.
What all this shows is that Hockey Dad are intelligent in the way in which they craft melodies. They grasp the idea of easy listening and the feeling of a warm, relaxing, lazy day quite brilliantly as they explore the less intense side of alt.rock. A rather glorious display of control, Hockey Dad don’t miss with Rebuild Repeat.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Pacific Avenue, Skeggs, The Terrys
Rebuild Repeat is out now via Farmer & The Owl