It has been a good while since 2012's debut album Get Buried from the then duo of Chris Donlon and Kate Mclean. The Creepy Crawlies have become a solo project for Donlon and the album is brimming with ideas.
Weeds inhabits a world somewhere between Indie Pop and Pop Rock offering up the sort of low key joy that we love. A little 80s in feel at times and a reminder of how great that decade was for Guitar based Indie Pop that has probably never been matched since.
There is also something quizzical about Los Angeles artists writing Guitar Pop that sounds so UK, but Donlon nails it. His vocal suits the laid back material and he has a knack of introducing unusual arrangements to songs that give them added interest.
For instance, Crown is magnificently enhanced by the arrangement. A mix of Jangle, laidback Psych Pop and Americana twang transforms what could be a Jonathan Richman song if left alone. There is so much packed into the 3 minutes 46 seconds that you need to come up for air after listening.
Virtually every song benefits from this approach including the slightly chaotic Pavement Pop of Deal Of The Century and the Indie Pop of Frozen Lake is enhanced by an intro and interlude of something that reminds me of a Bonanza Western theme.
Further From The Fairytale heads into Surf and the title track is aching, very melancholic. But the stand out is the magnificent Evil Twin is the stand out, one of the year's great Pop songs with a magnificent arrangement.
It is the arrangements that make the album and transform it from your standard Indie Pop album into something far more engaging and surprising. There is obviously a lot going on in Chris Donlon's head and with an album as splendid as this, we should be thankful for that.
You can listen to and buy the album here.
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