Get Bleak

When Toronto indie duo Ducks Ltd. released their debut EP, Get Bleak, as a four-song 7 in 2019, they tapped into the same kind of wistful melodic sensibilities and lovelorn jangle that fueled foundational acts like the Go-Betweens, Orange Juice, Felt, or the more lively acts from the Sarah Records and Flying Nun rosters of the late 80s. Three years later, core Ducks Ltd. members Evan Lewis and Tom Mcgreevy expand Get Bleak to include three new additional songs, still very much in keeping with the spirit of the original 7. Each song explores a slightly different angle of Ducks Ltd.s sound, and each gently nods to a different figure influential to the band. The bounding tempo, slack-jawed vocal melody, and reverb-doused guitar leads of the title track update the disenchanted perspectives of early college rock favorites like the Feelies or the Verlaines, adding some unexpected color to the songs rock backbone with strings and dreamy backing vocals. Tracks like Gleaming Spires and Annie Forever call on both the intricate guitar work of Hatful of Hollow-era Smiths and the mix of sighing melancholy and optimistic pep that made early Belle and Sebastian so captivating. The three newer songs are slightly more energetic, but they maintain all the elements that came together in the earlier tunes. The driving Oblivion adds organ and nervous, zippy rhythms to the mix and As Big as All Outside has a similar combination of upbeat hooks and restless emotional undercurrents. Get Bleaks seven songs are over all too quickly, and their combination of familiar reference points and new perspectives points toward great things to follow. ~ Fred Thomas