Gavin Glass – Sunday Songs

The Last Mixed Tape reviews Sunday Songs the fourth studio album from Irish singer-songwriter Gavin Glass.

The bittersweet sound of Sunday Songs shines a light on one of this countries best kept songwriting secrets, Gavin Glass. Filled with yearning romanticism etched in reality the album moves between longing, retrospection and regret delivering a personal but deeply relatable take on that great leveler, love itself.

Indeed Glass weaves this reflective mood throughout, the americana tinged folk and Wilco-esque balladry on songs such as ‘Good Fortune’ and ‘Silhouettes’ the songwriter speaks with a nuance that is quietly beguiling.

That is not to say that Gavin Glass doesn’t look to find hope and uplifting tones to convey the deep-seated loss of love feel found within Sunday Songs. In fact the album’s high-point comes with the simply affirming twang and warm sound of ‘Better Left Alone’.

On this track Glass finds his stride lyrically with lines like; “If you think of me on the nights that you find yourself sleeping alone. Pay no mind to it, these things you know are better left alone” having an engrained sense of experience and wisdom to them.

And that is where Sunday Songs finds its real strength as an album. The record is thematic in its immersive production and glistening alternative-country/folk sounds, but it’s heartbeat comes from Glass’ own expression of emotion both musically and lyrically.

This can be a difficult balancing act to pull-off, with many songwriters developing their muscles in one aspect over the other. But Gavin Glass has both sides perfectly working together, resulting in emotional highs and lows conveyed within the album’s core.

Sunday Songs is an album about the craft of songwriting and how that relates to honesty, storytelling and connectivity. Gavin Glass writes heartbreak better than most, maybe it’s from experience, maybe it’s from observance, either way it feels real.

Rating: 8/10

Sunday Songs by Gavin Glass is due for release on May 22nd.