Loving — If I Am Only My Thoughts — Album Review
Folk | Indie | D.I.Y
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
A handful of tracks from Canadian Indie band Loving were amongst the first I had heard in 2020, and in doing so, they teased the bands second album, If I Am Only My Thoughts.
I hadn’t listened to the bands self-titled debut which they released in 2016. But after swiftly listening to this debut, which I actually found pretty bland, this newest project displays a clear evolution in their style, ambience, and overall quality.
What originally enticed me into listening to the four teaser tracks was how chilled it generally sounded, and how it already seemed to tick the box of having a good D.I.Y style album in 2020, which came a bit too late for my liking the previous year.
I was also really interested in how retro the bands aesthetic was. It is almost as if Loving was an indie band that came straight out of the early 70’s, as oppose to the first year of the 2020’s. The title track of this album even feels like it could’ve easily been created by The Beatles.
There is a cold yet calm atmosphere which spans throughout this project. As a result, I feel that it was appropriate to release the album at this time. Evan the band seemed aware of this, with the choice to title their instrumental track “January”, which ironically came to us on the very last day of the same month.
On a side-note, however, I do wish that “January” wasn’t an instrumental song. It would’ve had the potential to be the most gorgeous sounding single on the entire project. But with its interlude-like nature, it failed to make as much of an impact as it could’ve.
Another small criticism of this album, would be that while If I Am Only My Thoughts is a vast improvement upon the bands debut, it does still feel quite lacklustre at certain points. In a matter of speaking, I feel like the band is progressing well to having their fully fleshed-out and exciting style finalised, but they are still have a while to go before they get there, if all goes as progressively as it has been.
While having a generally dreary tone, If I Am Only My Thoughts still remains a highly soothing project, and one that still shows a fair amount of promise for Loving.
Favourite Tracks: Only She Knows | If I Am Only my Thoughts | Write A River
Least Favourite Track: Stranger To Yourself
Last Gang Records
