This album was a completely left field addition to my 2023 catalogue, one that a friend of mine recommended to me unprompted. It was an unexpected but welcome pick, given that I haven't dipped my toes that much in indie folk rock, so I let it spin and I was pleasantly rewarded with an honestly amazing listening experience.
Under The Rug's brand of indie and folk rock is one not lacking in pop sensibilities, and it's easy to get hooked onto any of the tracks on this record. Their instrumentation is pretty homely and nothing much of wild, and their lyrical content may get a bit wacky here and there, but by and large it's a strangely calming sense of poetic. Coupled with soothing yet lovely vocals and great melodies, and the occasional grit, the performance in this record is nothing short of exquisite.
The folk elements in this album is readily apparent, and is integral to the core sound of many of the cuts. I love the accessibility of it, not losing the soul of folk yet easy to listen to. I caught the vibe pretty early on and it has only grown on me since, despite being a decent few steps away from my musical comfort zone. I love that they have the capacity to enter a bolder and louder soundscape when they feel the need to, like Dead Man on the Lawn's final chorus, or Skeleton Tree's bridge. For the most part though, their confessional folk rock sound is their home turf, and it is solid.
I will always commend albums that manage to catch and keep my attention when they're so far out from my usual tastes, and Homesick for Another World is exactly that. Despite its short runtime and minor misses, this album has me coming back to it a lot, and is an extremely enjoyable album in general.
Rating: 8/10