Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men – Downtime
2018’s Temporary High was one of the best pop albums of that year. With Downtime, the prolific Nick Piunti is back with a new band and the kind of big hooks, bigger choruses and jangly guitars we’ve come to expect from one of today’s top purveyors of pop.
I was hooked from the opening guitar of “Bright Light”. And the melody is so infectious it would have held my attention with nothing else. That brings us to “Every High”, as good a pop song as has been written this year. It’s the Tom Petty song Tom never got around to writing. Brilliant.
Just when you think it couldn’t get any better, along comes “Going Nowhere” with it’s punchy guitar, great harmonies, emotive vocal and uber infectious chorus. Things slow down a bit with “All Over Again”, a lovely ballad perfectly placed to give the listener a moment before kicking into yet another one of the album’s high points (of which there are many). “Gonna Be Good” is a monster hook start to finish. Even the piano outro is perfect.
Downtime is another Nick Piunti classic – maybe his best to date. The band (Jeff Hupp on bass, Ron Vensko on drums and Kevin Darnall on keyboards) are fantastic and Ryan Allen of Extra Arms guests on several tracks as well as having co-written “Going Nowhere” with Piunti.
Get Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men’s Downtime on CD at Kool Kat Musik. If you prefer vinyl or a digital download, visit their bandcamp page. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
From “Beyond the Static” to “Downtime” is probably the best power pop four-of-a-kind of the past decade, don’t cha think? And each one is better than the last.
I hadn’t given it that much thought but perhaps you’re right. They’re all outstanding albums. And each one is better than the last. Just when I think he can’t top the previous release, he does.