Indie Music Album Reviews – Insight & Critique

Barre, Ontario has a new band that is bringing their brand of indie rock to the local scene as well as to your streaming devices. Tiny Strings consists of Jesse Muldoon, Jimmy McLean and Neil Mavor and all three are high school teachers and dedicated musicians who felt the need to get together to make music despite the pandemic restrictions for playing live. In order to make sense of an uncertain period in our history, the music on their latest album Neighbours directly links to themes of navigation, anxiety and warmth. From soft to loud, the band hinges on this dynamic to make very interesting music. Their sound feels very nostalgic for rock music back in the ‘90s and ‘00s with clear odes to acts like Nirvana and Green Day. 

Neighbours opens up with “Way Behind,” where a jaunty drumming beat comes in towards the start of this track. Next, following close behind are some revved guitars. Gradually, Muldoon serves it to you straight with his real cool indie rock vibe vocals. The guitar solo was also spectacular. I noticed a lot of instances that reminded me of the type of music that was being played in the ‘60s and ‘70s. There were a lot of warm rock vibes that made me nostalgic for bands like The Beatles and The Monkees. Some spare bass and guitar enter the sound at first on “Neighbours.” Then the sound erupts for a heavier vibe. Next Muldoon’s vocals come in for some grunge and indie rock atmosphere. Some acoustic guitar sounds out for a warm vibe on “Die In Love.” Muldoon’s vocals coming through here reminded me of the emo genres as he belts out on this emotional ballad.

This time on “The Wheel,” Muldoon’s vocals are solely accompanied by acoustic guitar. Eventually, a drumming beat sidles in. This was a jaunty acoustic piece that reminded me of the Plain White T’s and other emo acts. I thought this was another atmospheric number from the band. On “Odd World,” more acoustic guitar comes in for a warm vibe. Once again, the band’s grunge influences are made evident here. I was reminded a lot of the type of music to come from the ‘90s and ‘00s. The music here made me nostalgic for that time period. More moody strumming coming from the acoustic guitar highlights the sound on “Street Lit Fires.” This was another acoustic ballad from the band. Once more the Plain White T’s references came to mind. 

​Though the album was recorded in each of the musicians’ home studios, the sound that came across was cohesive and I wouldn’t have known it if the bio didn’t say that this album was recorded remotely. The energy of this record was great. Each musician on this album reels it in with their instrument, creating a tight-knit and seamless sound throughout. I loved the amount of warmth and color each player exhibits on this six-track collection. A good start, I look forward to seeing what new things the band comes up with next.