Ash's transformation from a teenage phenomenon into a working band didn't do much to change the form of their music, just their execution. Everybody's pace slows once they leave their twenties, so the general deliberateness that characterizes 2018's
Islands -- along with its predecessor, 2015's Kablammo! -- isn't a surprise, but the trio is otherwise light on their feet. This deftness, along with a willingness to add slight hints of color throughout the album, gives
Islands a cheerful buoyancy. As ever,
Tim Wheeler -- who produced the record on his own -- is as much a craftsman as a songwriter, hammering out melodies and riffs, and his resulting tunes aren't fashionable, but they are sturdy: they don't evoke a specific time, just a classicism that sounds better with each successive spin. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine