The Junction

The long-awaited debut album from Brampton, ON’s the Junction has finally arrived and it sounds better than any Junction fan could have imagined. The indie rock trio made waves by touring relentlessly across Canada for the past five years or so with their playful, down-to-earth on-stage charm winning over every crowd in sight. Their only piece of recorded work available for converted fans was their seven-song — and only 50-percent stunning — sunny EP, …And With This Comes Tomorrow. Now, they present to us 12 well-developed, sparkling indie rock tunes featuring amazing production (courtesy of Brian Moncarz) the way their unique, bright songwriting has always deserved. Fan favourite "(We Come In) Components of Four” now starts off with an ambitious group chant! And "Frequencies” has an ambient two-minute intro that leads into the catchy melodic tune triumphantly. For the new songs, the boys offer up some Radiohead-esque balladry ("In the Realm”) and look inward, straying from their usual happy-go-lucky, pop-enhanced lyrics on the introspective "Notion of Love” or raunchy rocker "I Am Aware and Writing From the Heart.” "In Recall” is a jammy little number good for simply chilling out to. Brent Jackson’s chameleon-like vocals transform eloquently alongside each diverse cut. The album’s shaky opener, "Put the Hammer Down,” may not have been an ideal choice to start off such a golden