After a long break, with very little news in between, the indie-rock blues band The Family Rain released their sophomore studio album titled Indulgence. Formed in the early 2010’s, the group released their first album in 2014 before splitting two years later, only to reunite in 2018. Since the reunion, they’ve teased new music and released a couple singles during the pandemic, but overall have been mostly quiet until now. Indulgence is more than just a welcome back album, but a stylistic blues-rock compilation that packs a punch for those wanting something new to play on repeat this spring/summer season.
The first track “Hit the Ground Running” opens the album in a fast-paced, rock groove, crooning with a Kerouac cadence and slick guitar licks. It’s Cage the Elephant meets Jack White meshed with something entirely its own. “Hit the Ground Running” takes your hand and drags you into Indulgence like a bandit on the run ready to take off.
That beat poet rhythm doesn’t end at the first track. Taking that feisty bite up a notch, “Gasoline” follows next, incorporating funky harmonies and deep vibratos. A snappy “Pick yourself up off the ground” challenges listeners to sing along before the singer goes into a fearsome tirade, spitting out lines with angst.
“Machete Western” is one of the songs that will jump out at listeners as distinctly different from other tracks. A fuzzy electro opening carries the essence of the 90’s MTV days, a city reverb with a grimy tone. Following into the song is the dreary line “I can’t sleep no more, I’m all out of dreams,” before fading into a slew of liminal sounds that feel like a dream itself. Something about “Machete Western” is eerie and odd while still keeping the retro funk of the band’s pronounced sound.
Number six off Indulgence lies “Loud and Clear,” a raunchy guitar-driven, drum-heavy song that gives way to an old-school hard rock feel. The vocals waver on sex and venom, demanding and warm at the same time, delivering the line, “Love is the only language here,” in a Morrison coolness.
There’s no dismissing the catchy hook of “Good Grief Bad Grief.” Psychedelic-rock melodies and dreamy tones, the seventh track is a light break from the hard blues of Indulgence, making good use of the keys.
“Who Let the Gods Out,” is a feel-good declaration. The percussion plays a disco-style shuffle, while keys and a sharp guitar solo give it a big arena sound. “Who Let the Gods Out” should be noted as the dance track of the album, funky and hard not to shake to the rhythm.
“Sabertooth” starts with an edgy industrial build-up, drifting us back into the hard rock soul of the album. Brute and heavy, it feels like the vocals are in competition with the guitar for the most power, and the vibrato on the bridge only intensifies the heaviness.
A song not to be trifled with is “End of the World.” Second to last track, this moody sonnet with a western saloon-rhythm hums with percussion and passion. Dramatic and dark, “End of the World” gleams as an apocalyptic-romance ballad, different from what one would hear on any mainstream radio or rock station. The passion of lines like “I could see myself dying with you, I picture myself lying with you and watching the end of everything,” capture an alluring desperation and soul, invoking poetic yearning.
Indulgence, while complex, doesn’t overwhelm listeners. No two tracks sound the same, and instead the album shows the range The Family Rain has as an artist. An evocative narration, memorable riffs, and retro beats with a powerful tone that kicks you in the head and knocks you awake, there’s nothing about this record that can be easily dismissed. It’s heavy in all the right places, warm in others, and funky where it needs to be.
I’m Music Magazine Writer Alice Kearney
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