The Fragiles: Sing The Heat Of The Sun [Album Review]

The Fragiles
Sing The Heat Of The Sun
Living Lost Records [2026]

“Loose, melodic, and thoughtfully sequenced—Sing The Heat Of The Sun feels small in scale but big in spirit.”

Album Overview: Sing The Heat Of The Sun centers on songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Settle, a longtime presence in the wider Philadelphia music orbit. Across several projects, Settle has followed a self-guided path, recording at home, collaborating with trusted peers, and favoring modest releases over constant touring. After a stretch shaped by major life changes and side projects, The Fragiles returns with renewed focus and a broader circle of contributors.

It has been five years since Settle last released a Fragiles record, On and On (2021). In that time, he got married, had a kid, moved more than once, wrote and scrapped a full country album, and spent time playing with 2nd Grade. All of it feeds into this release. The result is a loose but confident collection that feels intentional without feeling too serious. Settle calls it a weird mix of songs, but they hang together naturally, unified by tone and feel rather than strict genre lines.

Sing The Heat Of The Sun is the third full-length from The Fragiles and easily the most expansive. Recorded with help from friends on drums, bass, and synth, the album unfolds across ten tracks that feel carefully sequenced rather than episodic. It also serves as a quiet closing chapter on Settle’s Philadelphia years, with contributions from drummer Gavin Perez-Canto (Goblin USA, Drill), bassist Catherine Dwyer (Spring Onion, Remember Sports, 2nd Grade), and guest synth touches from Fran Lyons (Ylayali).

Musical Style: The record sits comfortably in the indie rock tradition, built on guitar-forward arrangements, steady rhythms, and lower fi melodies that reward patience. The production stays grounded and direct, leaving space for both fuller band moments and more restrained passages without forcing contrast. Nothing feels overworked, and that restraint gives the songs room to breathe.

Evolution of Sound: Compared to earlier Fragiles releases, this album favors broader pacing and more considered structures. Songs are allowed to stretch out, tempos shift more freely, and the record feels less concerned with immediacy and more focused on cohesion. It plays like the work of a songwriter trusting the process and letting ideas unfold instead of rushing to the finish line.

Artists with Similar Fire: The album shares Bill Fox’s gift for making small moments feel meaningful, using simple melodies and repetition to carry emotional weight, while its loose guitar lines and patient builds recall the exploratory side of Built to Spill. The unfussy, home-recorded feel nods to Sebadoh, where honesty matters more than sheen, and the melodic instincts line up with bands like Possible Humans and Connections, letting pop sensibility surface without forcing it. Subtle traces of The Feelies also emerge in the rhythmic drive, keeping the songs in motion even when they slow down.

Pivotal Tracks: “Broken Pendulum” kicks things off with a foot-tapping opener that ranks among the catchiest songs in the Fragiles catalog, driven by chiming guitars and an easy confidence. “Drugstore Winner” strips everything back, placing Settle’s voice front and center in a way that feels unguarded and direct. “Hell Or” brings a heavier lo-fi rhythm that nods to earlier Fragiles releases, with a clear Feelies-style pulse running through it.

“River’s Roll” slows the pace, while “Unglued” leans into solid noise-rock territory. “Hard Work Is Heaven” stands out for its repetition-driven close, ending with Settle chanting “This monkey’s going down to heaven” until the phrase feels both playful and strangely weighty. The album closes with “When You’re Gone,” the longest track in the Fragiles catalog and one of its strongest, stretching into a mid-tempo groove with a laid-back Lou Reed swagger that lingers well after it fades.

Lyrical Strength: Settle’s writing relies on repetition, personal symbols, and phrasing that sticks rather than spells things out. The lyrics feel lived-in and conversational, circling ideas until meaning surfaces through rhythm and return. It is a subtle approach that rewards close listening without demanding it.

Final Groove: Sing The Heat Of The Sun feels like a reset without sounding like a restart. It captures a songwriter easing into a new phase, more collaborative, more patient, and more comfortable letting songs take their time. There is a quiet confidence running through the record, the sense of someone making music because they have to, not because they are chasing momentum. If this album closes the book on Settle’s Philadelphia years, it also hints at a wider horizon ahead, one where The Fragiles keeps stretching, shifting, and finding new ways to surprise.

THE FRAGILES REVIEW HISTORY
On And On (2021)

DAVID SETTLE PROJECTS
Big Heat: Playing The Bug (2021) / Psychic Flowers: For The Undertow (2021)

THE FRAGILES LINKS
Bandcamp | Living Lost Records