On their third studio effort, Southern California's
Bad Suns dial back some of the
Moz-inspired mope, and allow a bit of self-improvement to creep into their clean-cut post-punk/synth pop emissions. As opening tracks go, it's hard to imagine that anything other than the aptly named "Away We Go" had a chance. Bright, punchy, and so sugary that if it had any teeth left it could've been a
Ramones song, it sets a fairly high bar for the remaining 12 cuts. While
Mystic Truth manages to sustain its newfound sense of optimism, "Away We Go" feels a bit like a sonic outlier, with the guitars taking a backseat on more electronics-forward, though no less confectionary highlights like "Miracle a Mile Away," "Love by Mistake," and "Hold Your Fire." Leaning harder into the
Phoenix end of the indie rock spectrum, there are still some fun, left-field, trad-rock moments to be had, like the tasty cello that slides its way into the Beatlesque "Darkness Arrives (And Departs)" and the "Champagne Supernova"-channeling climb into the stratosphere that concludes the seismic closer "Starjumper." New disposition aside, not too much has changed for
Bad Suns since they arrived on the scene in 2014. Having established themselves as a singles band on previous outings,
Mystic Truth delivers another handful of meticulously polished gems that will be sure to find their way onto a future career overview or greatest-hits collection. ~ James Christopher Monger