The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries
Suns Out Guns Out
Ernest Jenning Record Co. [2021]
The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries have one of the best indie rock resumes in the game and they completely flex a high level talent on their new album Suns Out Guns Out. The group features bassist/vocalist Bob Weston (Volcano Suns, Shellac. Mission Of Burma), drummer/vocalist Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Come, New Year), and guitarist/vocalist Elisha Wiesner (Kahoots). If you take any one of those bands you get a very good sense of the direction The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries take you today.
Suns Out Guns Out is actually the groups third album but first since 2013’s Mass. Grave. After battling living in different time zones and other commitments over the last seven years, the album was recorded between 2015 and the end of 2019, with most of it completed between Wiesner’s home studio on Martha’s Vineyard and Weston’s Chicago basement. Some songs were quick while others have been in the works for years.
Right from the beginning slow chords in opener “MC Modern,” you sense the smoldering indie rock that is about to engulf you. At the song’s two minute mark it goes from a crawl into a burst of loud guitar and heightened vocals before simmering back down. You then get a 59 second indie burst track with “Betty Ford James” which immediately sticks in your head. That track is not the norm with its short run time as The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries are much more about building a song to its boiling point and then letting it burst only to swoop it back up in a very controlled structure.
The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries took their time finishing Suns Out Guns Out but you would never know that the record took seven years. It is a cohesive listen that hits you with wave after wave of sonic guitar goodness. The group lets you absorb the lyrics, every guitar strum, every bass line and every drum beat. It’s timeless appeal and top notch recording showcases each of the members in The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries and reminds you of why their past projects were so good. All of this album gels and makes Suns Out Guns Out a can’t miss experience!
Key Tracks: “MC Modern” / “After You” / “The Know It All”
Artists With Similar Fire: Hum / Sunny Day Real Estate / Karate
The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries Website
The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries Facebook
Ernest Jennings Recording Co.
-Reviewed by Thomas Wilde
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