Showcasing a sound steeped in jangly rock and melodic power-pop, Frets comes via Kentucky-based four-piece Letters of Acceptance. Formed by Clint Newman and John Norris, alongside drummer Tim Welch and bassist Scott Whiddon, the band intertwines guitar melodies and tight backing harmonies with perceptive lyricism that navigates everyday disillusionment through wry humor, nostalgic warmth, and glimmers of hope.
Delighting across both twangy rock hooks and moments of acoustic-laden introspection, “Clara” opens the album in stellar form, showcasing the band’s knack for compelling structural evolutions and thematic heart. “I was living in a futile age, and it was not okay,” the delivery lets out, lamenting an “always raining” and “never changing” state of affairs. The “turning off her camera” sequence enamors in its lusher, folk-minded vibe, before escalating back into a chugging rock vibrancy, framing the titular character as a guiding source while evading authority and conformity.
The ensuing “Don’t Forget To Try To Be Happy” consumes as well, developing from sturdy pit-pattering rhythms and escalating guitars, with shimmering acoustics and warming guitar tones interacting into insights on coping with a world that “ain’t easy.” “Just because you meditate / Don’t forget to try to be happy,” the lead presence urges, contrasting systemic exhaustion against the worthwhile effort of finding and holding onto joy. A catching bridge, ruminating on fairness in a world that certainly isn’t, excels too. “In Sunken Style” arrives next, described well as a “Monkees-type pop song” and being a nice thematic follow-up to the preceding track, in being inspired by a character in a book that maintained a joyful outlook on life despite dire circumstances. The bright power-pop tones and steady acoustics lovably complement harmonious delivery and the art of living life in “sunken style.”
A more understated yet gorgeously evolving highlight shows on “Too Bad Not To Be True,” where prancing guitar textures exude a nostalgic warmth amidst a lead presence that resembles a fantastic cross between Matthew Sweet and Tom Petty. “No more the person tied to this state / Barely noticed when I drove through,” the observational lyricism exudes, capturing the sensation of revisiting past spaces as a changed person. The subsequent “Crime of Living” then stirs with overall melodic momentum and title-bearing hook, where trickling guitar flourishes accompany lyrics depicting diving “into a sea of ordinary grey, to play a crime of living.” A more haunting, soaring performance unveils past the two-minute turn for an especially striking sequence, reminding fondly there of XTC. Frets is a fantastic full-length output from Letters of Acceptance, pairing exceptionally catchy power-pop and textured rock productions with insightful lyrical precision.
