by Scott Yohe
There must be something in the water up in Toronto because Ducks Ltd. has done it again. They've released their third jangle-pop masterpiece via Carpark Records, Harm’s Way. Following up on 2021's Modern Fiction and Get Bleak, the band has proven that the wait was beyond worth it, and that patience is a virtue. Harm’s Way picks up where they left off and has improved their formula tremendously. In just 27 quick minutes, they create earworm after earworm, the kind of songs you can listen to over and over with a big smile on your face. Harm’s Way is the perfect accompaniment for a bright spring day when the sun is shining and all is right in the world.
The album starts with the song “Hollowed Out,” a track about how the modern world hollows us out with the constant repetition of our daily routine. It's the ideal opener, setting the tone for what you're getting yourself into. The guitars jangle, the drums bop along, and the vocals come through nonchalantly. It flows seamlessly into the next track, “Cathedral City,” which is aptly titled because it feels like walking the streets, marveling at the architecture of cathedrals from a distance. “The Main Thing” has perhaps the best opening lyrics you'll hear all year, where vocalist Tom McGreevy sings, “Living like a middle reliever/ Innings eater on a losing team/ Showing up and doing what I get paid for,” the faultless simile for how it feels to be stuck somewhere with no real purpose or care. It's hard not to nod along with this track as the guitars play at a ripping pace. There for a moment then gone as you are torpedoed into the next track, “Train Full of Gasoline,” a single that perfectly encapsulates Ducks Ltd. where the band helps you appreciate the moments in life that might not seem so great but become great for gaining a new perspective. “Deleted Scenes” riffs off the idea of comparing relationships to a movie and being caught up in the deleted scenes. “On Our Way to the Rave” plays at a breakneck speed and doesn’t slow down for a second. Harm’s Way ends with “Heavy Bag,” which sees the boys slow down for a moment, as if they are saying goodbye but we will see you again soon.
The music on Harm’s Way is absolute jangle-pop perfection. The guitars are constantly bouncing back and forth and are always front and center. They weasel their way into your head and stay there, never wearing out their welcome. If Ducks Ltd. is good at anything, it's creating the kind of songs you want to listen to over and over, the kind of thing you wish could soundtrack all moments of your life. The drums are done in various ways, with different players and different programs. They never overpower the jangling immaculateness but always complement it. The bass provides the pristine backbone, allowing the listener something to latch onto and bob along with. The vocals are always relaxed, sung in a cool and distant way as McGreevy muses about this or that. As a duo, McGreevy and Evan Lewis have mastered the guitar stylings of jangle-pop and completely made it their own.
Harm’s Way may only be 27 minutes, but it's 27 minutes you'll want to repeat over and over. It breezes by and invites you to come along with it. It's proof that jangle-pop is alive and well and still going in interesting directions. When you listen to Harm’s Way, you're boarding a train full of gasoline with Ducks Ltd., and they're very set on keeping you on track. They aren’t asking for a lot of your time, but they are asking that you take the time to gain some new perspective and to consider everything around you, and that is the wonderful thing about Ducks Ltd. and their lastest album.