Hinterlandband: "Bon Echo" (album review)

Out of the Ottawa Valley comes Hinterlandband, the new project from Colin Wylie (Blinker The Star).  The one-man band will be releasing the album Bon Echo on May 30th.

The record is a eclectic collection of pop rock ditties.  The album opens with "Follow Will", a song that's eclectic within itself.  A propulsive arrangement is tempered by surprisingly sweet melodies.


"Staying In the Curl" is pumped up by a Meat Puppets-esque tumbling guitar line.  The effortless sway of "Living Underground" will have you envisioning a sunny island shipwreck paradise.  "The Marauder" is light indie pop that could easily be an outtake from Sloan's Twice Removed.  Add to that a subtle keyboard and you get the delightful "Intelligent Design".

Removing all hooks, tricks, and gimmicks, we're left with a song like "Come On Home".  It's a track that shines the spotlight on tremendous vocal harmonies that aren't in-your-face.

Look, Bon Echo will not change the way you hear or appreciate music.  What it will do is give you a front-to-back fun listen.  We all need more of that in our lives.

Hinterlandband play The Piston in Toronto on July 19th and The Rivoli on July 20th.

Best tracks: "Staying In the Curl", "Living Underground"

Track listing for Bon Echo:

• Follow Will
• Staying In the Curl
• Living Underground
• The Marauder
• Intelligent Design
• Come On Home
• Time Beats Kickers
• Plutonomy
• Always
• The Last Dance

7.5/10