The Sun Parade: Yossis

Yossis is an intriguing listen and not just because it’s closest relative seems to be “Maggie May”-mode Rod Stewart. It’s because of how fully formed the band sounds. Nearly every song is an intricate masterwork in structure, with breaks and guitars accentuating every other element of whatever the given song is. They’re all incredibly strong folk-inflected rock n’ roll numbers that only pick up steam as they progress. Unfortunately, the Sun Parade try to stretch their magic over a time period that they can’t quite yet sustain.

Yossis‘s second half is both a bit slower and a bit less interesting than it’s first. To dull the impact, the only possible thing they could have done was go out with a bang. Unfortunately, despite the its best efforts “Hometown” feels more like a coda than a conclusion, leaving Yossis somewhat ambiguous.