In moments of depression, fictional romantic characters tend to jump into their vintage convertibles, to hit the highway with no destination or plan in mind. Reid Paley and Black Francis express the joy of living in that action, the catharsis of “driving through” your troubles, so to speak. Perhaps it’s because, like that drive, this album took three days to record in live takes – a sort of creative “lost weekend”, if you will. That the album sounds expectedly rough-edged and unpolished is precisely its charm, though. The performances are charismatic, as in when Paley gets Tom Waits and Nick Cave to pass each other casually “On The Corner”. In fact, Paley’s turns to front the songs offer the most satisfying results throughout the album, especially on the hauntingly beautiful “The Last Song” and oddly mesmerising “Ugly Life”.

Key Tracks: “On the Corner”, “Ugly Life”, “The Last Song”