New Releases: Ducks Ltd.

February 2024 is off to a pretty great start! Last week we had the latest from the Paranoid Style, and I've been playing it repeatedly. And today we get the new one from Toronto indie rockers Ducks Ltd. I loved their 2021 LP Modern Fiction, which unabashedly invoked the 80s jangle of The Feelies and The Go-Betweens and New Zealand acts like The Bats. Harm's Way doesn't mess much with the sound, which is fine, 'cuz I could listen to this stuff for days. The sound remains relatively stripped down, the duo backed by a drum machine and some guest musicians, yet still feels rich and complete. Like its predecessor, the album moves at a breezy clip, barely half an hour long, but this doesn't prevent the hooks from gelling, songs like infectious opener "Hollowed Out," choogling "Train Full Of Gasoline," and the jaunty "A Girl, Running" blending mellow guitar jangle with unassuming, percolating energy.

But it on Bandcamp.

BTW, checking this out on Bandcamp I saw that the band has quietly been releasing fun cover songs, collaborating with other indie acts. Most recently, they joined Mo Troper and Ratboys for a reverent cover of "Invitation," a deep cut from the final album of the Feelies' original run. (They've also covered the Cure and the Jesus & Mary Chain.)