The Rave-Ups - Tomorrow (Omnivore)

Following a brief reunion around Omnivore’s reissue of the band’s 1985 debut Town + Country and lead vocalist Jimmer Podrasky’s musical reactivation after twenty-odd years, a new album from the Rave-Ups was inevitable. Unsurprisingly, given the talents driving this underrated group, Tomorrow picks up right where they left off with 1990’s Chance. Well, maybe not exactly – minus the major label budget and plus years of hard life experience, record #4 can’t rely on production gloss or ornamentation, and instead focuses tightly on the songs themselves. Take the single “How Old Am I?” Podrasky’s bittersweet rumination on his father’s passing rides a propulsive beat, a singalong chorus and Terry Wilson’s janglecrunch guitar riffs – the Rave-Ups’ classic roots rocking power pop in a nutshell. “Coming After Me” stands as another strong example – the tune may be about being trapped (in a mental institution? In a cage at the border? Inside your own head?), but the winsome melody and sweet ‘n’ sour harmonies make the horror go down easy. The politically charged cynicism of “So, You Wanna Know the Truth?” races alongside jaunty banjo augmentation, while the tart contemplation of divorce in “When I Write Your Name” gets jolted by grooving blues rock. Armed with hooks, melody and a defiant grimace, the Rave-Ups greet Tomorrow with both a sardonic smile and stinging tears, neither drowned in misery nor blinded by alacrity. A welcome return.