Sydney’s Bearhug have taken things into new sonic territory on So Gone, the follow-up to last year’s Over Easy EP. Gone are the clean, jangling and relatively unassuming songs. In their place are eleven tracks that buzz and fizz with layered, distorted guitars in the vein of Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth and a lively The War On Drugs. Their breezy way with melody is still intact making So Gone sound alive and kicking with a wistful and melancholic undercurrent and frayed edges courtesy of Owen Penglis’ (Straight Arrows) recording/mix. Bearhug might have swerved off the indie rock highway but the resulting album is a damn fine detour.

Chris Familton

this review was first published in The Music (Sept ’14)