Though they’ve been active since 2013, New Orleans, Louisiana’s The Deslondes (previously called The Tumbleweeds) really came into their own on their brilliant self-titled album in 2015. Using genres like folk, bluegrass, R&B, and country among others to their advantage, the quintet all shares songwriting duties to produce a vast and encompassing sound with several singers on this stunning sophomore LP.
First up in this listen of varying styles, opening tune “Muddy Waters” is a sparse acoustic plucker where keys and group vocals join in for a subtle psych-rock meets Americana experience. “One Of These Lonesome Mornings” follows and picks up the pace into a country-influenced barnyard stomper, which is then complemented by the retro-rock feelings of the darker “(This Ain’t A) Sad Song.” The middle of the album offers us the oldies and soulful influenced “She Better Be Lonely,” the upbeat, marching, carnival feel of “Every Well,” and album highlight, the dark Americana of “Ribbon Creeks Collide.”
The second half of the album remains consistently warm and sincere; title track “Hurry Home” brings in piano and a laidback lounge atmosphere, followed by its organ counterpart, “Nelly.” “Hurricane Shakedown” is one of the most uproarious moments here, with a soulful vintage feel that sounds it could have been played by Marty McFly at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance. Next up is the quietest offering here, the soft percussion and romantic waltz of “Just In Love With You.”
There was certainly nothing rushed on this second album, and the songs themselves generally move at a calming, almost therapeutic pace. Bringing to mind legends like Tom Waits, Crooked Fingers, and The Everly Brothers, The Deslondes spreads their wings into very embraceable directions here, producing an installment that’s as rich as the musical history of their hometown. Hurry Home is a nearly brilliant effort here from a band that gets better each time they return.
