You know how it is with old friends. You don’t see each other for months — maybe even years — but then when you finally do get together, you pick up right where you left off. It’s been that way with Foxwarren. The prairie art-roots quartet formed a decade ago, taking their name from the Manitoba hometown of two members. Then singer-guitarist Andy Shauf‘s career took off following the release of his acclaimed 2016 concept album The Party, forcing him to back-burner his buds. But that’s the other thing about friends: They always come through in the end. So Shauf reunited with his old bandmates and they finally wrapped this long-gestating debut disc in a Regina studio. They cite the influence of The Band and Simon and Garfunkel in these tracks, which you can sorta hear in the earthier grooves and some of the vocal stylings and harmonies. But they could (and maybe should) have added Can, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Radiohead, the Everlys and several other names on that list, based on the sonic and musical variety of these freewheeling tracks, which effortlessly flit between everything from Americana and pop to Krautrock, experimental and orchestral. Really, though, what it sounds like is the easy, relaxed communication and collaboration of four like-minded old friends enjoying their time together. Pick it up right where they left off.
