Barnyard＜限定盤/Blue-in-Clear Vinyl＞

A prolific indie rock outfit from Australia, Good Morning present a curious mixture of 90s slacker ennui and heart that is occasionally at odds with itself. The Melbourne duo of Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons began releasing music in 2014 and quickly racked up a tidy catalog of singles and EPs in advance of the 2018 full-length Prize // Reward. Two more albums followed and, after signing on with Sub Pops publishing arm, the duo now offer up 2021s Barnyard, their fourth album overall and first for American indie Polyvinyl. Recorded in Chicago at Wilcos Loft studio, Barnyard continues to explore Good Mornings various musical facets from introspective ballads like Too Young to Quit and Green Skies to scuzzy, low-key guitar pop like Wahlberg and Matthew Newton. At first blush, the groups apparent affection for old-school lo-fi indie rock seems to place them squarely among the many 90s revivalists dusting off a previous generations four-track recorders, but lurking behind Blairs affected mumble is a rather crafty band with some solid songwriting chops. The eerie murk of Ive Been Waiting and the laid-back piano pop of Burning are easy standouts on a record that tends to shed its more obvious influences with repeated listens. Good Morning are at their best when pushing their own boundaries and building subtle layers to support their surprisingly punchy rock missives. ~ Timothy Monger