I have no familiarity with Gaz Coombes outside of this most recent album from him. What I have been able to gather is largely the same thing anyone could gather from a quick look at his Spotify and a listen of this album - he fronted a group by the name of Supergrass, and is largely an indie rock artist - all the tropes you'd expect from that little nugget of knowledge are on Turn the Car Around, from the fact that Gaz plays pretty much all the instruments himself (a feat which I always consider commendable), and he does quite a bit of the ol' sound swapping to create what is an admittedly varied album of sounds from Coombes. From ballads to some soaring rock numbers, Turn the Car Around is a pretty solid indie album with some healthy doses of pop energy and neo-psychedelia for added flavor, which ultimately makes for one of the most enjoyable listens I've had in 2023 yet.
Coombes certainly is a talented musician, and Turn the Car Around has amble room for him to flex his skills. In the good ol' tradition of Do-It-Yourself indie rock, Commbes takes the driver's wheel on Turn the Car Around and plays a good majority of the record on his own - what can I say, I'm a sucker for people who can Todd Rundgren their way through an LP. Coombes is more than just a solid musician, of course - his singing is smooth and infused with that singer-songwriter quality that I like in albums like this, and it's suited for his moody blend of rock and pop on moments like "Don't Say It's Over" or the title track on the album's second half. He's also a more-than-capable lyricist, probably best seen on the storytelling of a moment like "Sonny the Strong," which also shows his sensitive and honest side throughout his lyrics. This is coupled with his bouncing around of sounds just enough to keep things interesting, from the pop rock of "Turn the Car Around" to the touches of psychedelia in "Feel Loop (Lizard Dream)." For what it's all worth, Turn the Car Around is a great sounding album - well produced, but just messy enough to have a taste of that lo-fi indie sound.
It helps that, at only 9 songs and barely 38 minutes, Gaz Coombes really gets all of the ideas across that he wants - it's not a super-tight record, but far from one that overstays its welcome. From start to finish, Coombes' ideas of indie rock are cleanly expressed, well-performed, and pretty damn catchy. The spacious opening of "Overnight Trains" immediately ropes you into the album's sound, although it doesn't give a hint of the excellent hooks to come with moments like "Turn the Car Around" or "Don't Say It's Over" or even to a lesser extent "This Love," even though the latter didn't do a whole lot for me. Outside of soaring pop tunes like that, though, Coombes shows a lot of skill on thumping rock numbers like "Feel Loop (Lizard Dream)" or the crunchy "Not the Only Things." Slower moments also do what they need to do on "Sonny the Strong" or album closer "Dance On," especially with the latter being as climactic of a finisher as it is. Perhaps the only weak moment is "Long Live the Strange," which while energetic reeks of car commercial energy.
While it's nothing absolutely mind-blowing, Gaz Coombes delivers on the tunes with Turn the Car Around. It's a solid collection of indie rock numbers with enough textured moments to be compelling and an equal amount of memorable hooks to stick into your mind - seriously, the title track has been stuck in my head for like a week. While some moments can almost fall into a repetitious territory, and others sound too cheesy for their own good, overall Turn the Car Around was a satisfying album, certain to please the indie-rock fans amongst you - I know I'm happy with this.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Turn the Car Around.
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