The Eversons - Summer Feeling

This album is an absolute peach! Its title tips its hat to Jonathan Richman and the music similarly seeks out the joie de vivre, playfulness and high-octane pop of Jonathan Sings! and Rockin’ & Romance.

The Eversons – four men from New Zealand, only one of them called Everson – swap lead vocal duties and endlessly pep up their pop with doo wop influenced backing. Pretty much like Sloan when they were at the top of their game.

Summer Feeling is a fun record. Where Jonathan Richman’s first album with the Modern Lovers celebrated the suburbs, this record is about wanting to leave the suburbs. So Down could quite easily have been subtitled (You Better Get Out Of Your Small Town). Still, there’s an element of prophecy in its deliciously waspish and sniping lyrics:

I want to thank god for my special friends

We got together and we started a band

We’re gonna work hard and write popular songs

And everybody will respond with a double thumbs up

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