Album Review: The Hanging Stars - Just a Day

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June releases awash with jangly guitars and multiple harmonies will always evoke a summery feel. The source may be southern England rather than West Coast USA but The Hanging Stars have become an established band of conjuring such a sound. JUST A DAY is their 6th release and a sufficient starting point if you want to discover a group hovering around the fringes poised for a significant breakthrough. Whether the new album delivers it is subject to a host of external factors. The upshot is a band seemingly in a good place, honing a tight sound and feasting on a revised network of assistance. 


Dreamy links and sumptuous moments pepper this dozen song collection paraded by band frontman, main songwriter and guitar-vocalist Richard Olson. Threaded through the album are numerous examples of a studio masterclass aided by the contribution of Teenage Fanclub’s Gerard Love in a co-production capacity. These range from fusing keys, guitar and exemplary vocal concoctions to arranging the order of an array of gold encrusted song vignettes shaping a immersive listen. 


Maybe The Hanging Stars are waiting for that real killer track that lifts their status. The closest piece here is the enhanced rocking beat of ‘Show Me The Way’ with an alt-country uptempo melody making it a standout presence. A useful addition to an exhilarating live show cultivated from hard yards of touring (bar a Birmingham gig from memory!).


A haze of psychedelia greets you in opener ‘All Your Yesterdays’ adorned with a sultry keys input. This glides into the adorable vibes attached to ‘The Glasshouse’ lifting the tempo into a swirling stratosphere. The hooks are endearing garnering instant attraction. There is a compulsive feel to the introspective ‘Sister of the Sun’ with the harmonies kicking in. The opening quartet concludes in the evolving arms of ‘Think I’ll Be Alright’, a track bubbling under until an injection of intensity towards the end.


‘Let it Slide’, one of the singles, glitters with twelve-string jangle charm as Olson’s vocal clarity is supplemented by the harmony additions. The Hanging Stars rocking credentials are well known and the earthy grittier undertones to ‘(Keep on) Making Me Wait’ highlight this in a track building to a crescendo. This song written by guitarist Patrick Ralla is the only occasion where Olson puts his pen down, though there are a couple of co-writes. The second half begins with the keys-inspired ‘Big Red Car’ and the twangy strains to ‘Time is Nothing’. 


The varied pace takes a gentler turn with the evocative ‘Run Run Run’ before the aforementioned album standout takes pride of place. The final two tracks adopt a tamer disposition with a pensive acoustic drift to ‘My Lucky Charm’ and an impulse urge to ponder in charismatic closer and title track ‘Just a Day’.


JUST A DAY is a moving feast of riffs, beats and jangle charm. Designed to breakthrough and cement The Hanging Stars as curated artisans of Anglicised Americana. Its jam laden feel shows beauty in the guitar and the trappings forge an album to get lost in. Summer has arrived when a quality album of this ilk arrives. 


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