Sunbourne Rd – Manners Maketh Man

There are the unmistakable fingerprints of the Fab Four all over the latest release from Sunbourne Rd. However, that doesn’t adequately describe Manners Maketh Man. One can hear the influence of any number of 80’s and 90’s pop bands within it’s walls. Above all, this is a collection of songs you can sing along to – WANT to sing along to.

The guitar chunk of “Baby, Baby, Baby” immediately demands your attention and carries you through 3:29 of a perfect single. “Irene” is positively thunderous. The hybrid “A Joke Is in the Can” is half Abbey Rd and the other half west coast Hollywood rock. And here’s a first – a Flock of Seagulls reference. Listen to “Like a Renaissance” and see if the guitar riff doesn’t sound a bit like that iconic FOS riff turned on it’s side. Pretty cool.

While every song on Manners Maketh Man is worth a listen or three, the big payoff is “My Bridges”. It’s catchy as all get-go with a bit of production trickery (a telephone filter on the opening verse) and a big hook of a guitar riff. If you speed it up just a bit, you can almost hear Pete Shelley and The Buzzcocks.

Sunbourne Rd’s Manners Maketh Man is easily one of my favorite power pop albums of the year. Look for it on the Power Pop News 2021 best of list come December. You can pick up your copy (and you should!) at Kool Kat Musik.