The Rallies 2026
Seizing the zeitgeist in search of multicolored optimism, four Seattleites set their sights on daydreams that get real.
No Better Time
When some musicians try to access the ’60s innocence, the results of such attempts seem quite stylized, albeit unnatural, yet this quartet tap into that era without ever sounding retro and while there’s nothing groundbreaking about the ensemble’s knack for bringing perennial sentiments like “All you need is love” to the present, it takes a lot of verve to keep those from being banal. Relatable to a fault, the eleven songs on the band’s fourth album hark back to the halcyon days of unpretentious pop-rock usually associated with British artists, rather than the gloomy West Coast idealism of the past, but the foursome don’t reach for the comfort of false nostalgia. Instead, they focus on the here and now, as well as the future, and though lesser mortals may find titling a catchy, richly textured piece “Love” rather daunting, the Washingtonians feel confident they can convey a universal message and demonstrate, simultaneously, panache and reserve.
This is how jangly opener “This Time” manages to come across as both urgent and relaxed, pulling the listeners into its aurally uncluttered, and clinically non-cynical, space and letting them go only after the quasi-orchestral “If Only” had exposed the celestial vulnerability of the collective’s vocal harmonies and acoustic which organ-bolstered electric passages turn into a hymn to hope. There’s infectious groove in “I Believe” allowing Ben Heege’s bass and Lee Brown’s drums engage in a shuffling jive and Brian Chase’s guitar sharpen a few riffs so that Steve Davis’s voice could lead the tune to emotional heights, whereas the contemplative “You Never Knew” offers not only sympathy but also folk sensibilities – a key to embracing eternity. And if “You Set Me Free” boasts a harder sonic veneer than other numbers, it hits harder too, pushing all the right buttons in one’s soul and lodging its sweet refrain in one’s memory, as does, in under two minutes, the transparent “Open Your Mind” with its chamber balladry.
It gets even more interesting once, closer to the platter’s end, “Not So Much Anymore” produces a lysergic vibe, yet the deceptively simple “Be With You” will warm the punters’ psyche just as effectively, and the handclaps-abetted “Comes And Goes” goes for the purest melodic rapture – enhanced with background la-la-la’s Steve Harley would approve of. As a result, forgiving the band for dipping “Notice Me” into deliberate Byrdsims is easy, given how punchy this cut’s instrumental details are. A little more personality, or clearer identity, and this ensemble should rocket up the charts.
****4/5
