Sooo...how can I preface this? Well, let's start off by saying that the Unswept's debut album, in spite of almost entirely being covers, was an excellent beginning - it's clear the O'Brien trio have a wide variety of influences and are able to cleverly work them into their Beatlesque sound with no effort at all. That isn't to say the few originals are slouchers in that department either; I could see songs like "Inside Out" and "Certain Flowers" appearing on a Herman's Hermits or Dave Clark Five record, and think that they wouldn't feel out of place at all.So what happens when the sophomore effort, The Unswept Today! (a clear reference to the Beach Boys and their similarly-titled album The Beach Boys Today!) reverses that trend - a stronger emphasis on original material, with only 2 covers? A year after the release of their first album, the O'Briens returned to the recording studio with 9 original songs in hand, bolstered by covers of Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians' "Another Bubble" and Teenage Fanclub's "Mellow Doubt", to create this 11-song album. But does it hold up to the first album in terms of quality? Well, let's look at The Unswept Today!, and find out.

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ALBUM NAME: The Unswept Today!

ARTIST NAME: The Unswept

RECORDED: 2015

RELEASED: April 21, 2015

LABEL: Draco Records

PRODUCER: Bert Fern

GENRES: Merseybeat, power pop, jangle pop

PERSONNEL: Charlie O'Brien (guitars, vocals), Ryan O'Brien (drums, vocals), Liz O'Brien (bass, vocals)

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TRACK LISTING:

Super Sad: 02:19

Peace of Mind: 02:01

Please, Please Look My Way: 02:21

Another Bubble (Robyn Hitchcock): 02:24

(You Can) Do the Math: 02:17

Unimpressive: 02:28

Magnet's Coil: 02:17

Mellow Doubt (Teenage Fanclub): 02:40

Cheater: 02:53

Surf Song (I Wish I Was a Beach Boy): 02:38

Get Away: 03:26

TOTAL ALBUM LENGTH: 27:49

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1. Super Sad - Opening the album with a jangly, 12-string guitar chord (the influence of A Hard Day's Night is readily apparent), "Super Sad" is anything but. An upbeat rocker of a first track, the lyrics are straightforward, playfully mocking overly cynical and dramatic people who feel the need to make others miserable just because. It kicks the album into high gear from the word go, and is something straight off of a Replacements or even R.E.M. record. While it is one of the few songs on the album to not deal with relationships, "Super Sad" is all the better for it, proving that Ryan and Charlie can write more than silly love songs; they can also write more straightforward, anthemic power pop tunes that give off airs of positivity and good vibes all around.

2.  Peace of Mind - Another upbeat track, "Peace of Mind" focuses on a narrator who reflects on a love from his last whom he still lines for; thinking about her eases him and gives him peace of mind. Featuring Liz on to-lead vocals, this song (at least melodically) reminds me a bit of "I Saw Her Standing There" almost; thematically, it deals with similar themes of pining for someone from afar. Speaking of...

3. Please, Please Look My Way - While this one's not an upbeat song like the previous two, it's still an earworm of power pop goodness. Lyrically, "Please, Please Look My Way" is a more somber look at unrequited love. The narrator of the song admires a fashion store worker from a safe distance, imagining some clothes from a mannequin looking good on her, and the two of them going shopping together; all the while, he tries working up the nerve to just go up and talk to her, but his nerves prevent him from doing so. Not to fear, though; there is a sense of hope at the end when our protagonist finally decided he's going to do it. Musically, I'm reminded of Big Star's ballads; this wouldn't feel out of place if this was on #1 Record with Alex Chilton on lead vocals.

4. Another Bubble - The first of only two covers on this album, "Another Bubble" was originally by Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians. The lyrics, as per usual for Mr. Hitchcock, are abstract, enigmatic, and open to interpretation. At first, it seems to be a standard song warning someone that their lover is trouble and that their just "Another bubble" waiting to burst. Then it takes a sharp left turn and explains that the girl is a delusion of some sort, and that the narrator has experience with this. But then it ALSO says that there IS another person, and...yeah, it's confusing when you actually read the lyrics. Nonetheless, it's a fun, happy sort of cover, and you can clearly tell the band is trying not to laugh themselves while singing.

5. (You Can) Do the Math - A country-influenced tune, "You Can Do the Math" focuses on a man who talks about his admiration of a close female friend. He admits he likes her in that way, but he understands she's her own person and not an object, and that's OK. She goes on her own path, and he goes on his, and while their paths intersect, he's perfectly content to just be friends. Certainly not a conventional love song, but a love song nonetheless; the band shows that they have an understanding of platonic love just as intimately as they do with romantic love.

6. Unimpressive - "Unimpressive" is a song I can deeply relate to, and for good reason. It's all about anxiety in a relationship, and how one (or even both partners) can feel that they're not good enough for the other. The singer expresses doubt to his partner that he can fulfill his or her needs, insisting he isn't impressive at all and will manage to somehow screw the whole thing up. While this may look like another one of the band's standard boy-girl love songs on the surface, digging a bit deeper reveals a surprisingly mature theme of self-doubt and low self-esteem.

7. Magnet's Coil - Following from the example set by "Unimpressive" , this song deals with a deeper theme in regards to relationships. In this case, the failure of communication between partners. Lyrically, the song focuses on how a man and his girlfriend don't seem to talk out their feelings with one another, resulting in stress and high-strung anxiety because of it. There's also a neat bit of experimentation here, with a brief synthesizer melody being played in the middle of the song.

8. Mellow Doubt - The second (and last) cover on this album, originally by Teenage Fanclub. In spite of this, the song adds to the overall maturation of themes found in the second half of this album. It focuses on the idea of a loved one dying, and dealing with the grief that follows. As the lyrics note, grief just doesn't go away. It never really does, and all you can really do is try and come to terms with it.

9. Cheater - In offset to the melancholic tone of the previous tune, "Cheater" returns to an upbeat, Beatlesque melody...but is by no means a feel good song, as evidenced by the title. The song's narrator calls out his ex-girlfriend for her laziness and infidelity, especially since they were living in squalor. She made her cheating on him fairly obvious, as the narrator points out. As I keep bringing up, the band keeps maturing thematically throughout the second half of The Unswept Today, and this song is no exception. While the band did focus on the subject of a relationship ending in "You're Going Home" from their debut, this is the first time they've confronted the subject of cheating directly and bluntly. And their brutal honesty makes the message very clear.

10. Surf Song (I Wish I Was a Beach Boy) - The Unswept decide to take a breather from the darker themes present in the last few songs, and decide to pastiche the Beach Boys. While this song stands in stark contrast to the other songs on Today's second half by being lighter, it continues in the idea of musical growth by the band deciding to do a take on an American group as opposed to an English one. And boy, they do it well. This song is a dead ringer for the classic Beach Boys, including the Four Freshmen-derived vocal harmonies. In terms of lyrics, it's replete with references to the Beach Boys' classic period of 1962-1966 such as "Surfer Girl", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "The Warmth of the Sun" , and "God Only Knows" .

11. Get Away - The Unswept continue the experimentation for the final track of this album in two notable ways: it's their first song to be over three minutes, and adopts a "harder" rock sound akin to the Rolling Stones or the Who. Lyrically, you could see it as a continuation of the story in "Cheater", with the narrator kicking out his girlfriend for her misdeeds. With that said, the album reaches a satisfying conclusion with this song.

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FINAL THOUGHTS: So, does the Unswept's second album live up to their debut? It does more than that - it's better. With more creative freedom in their sophomore effort, the O'Briens not only refine their ears for sugary sweet melodies, but also step out of their comfort zones by exploring relationships more in depth and (to a certain degree) new soundscapes as well. If I could recommend any power pop album of the 2010s, it's this one.

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FINAL SCORE:

10/10