CREDIT: KANE HIBBERD/PROVIDED BY NEWTTWERK MUSIC GROUP
Check out this review of Home, the latest release to come from the John Butler Trio.

The Australian group known as “John Butler Trio” released their seventh studio album Home just last month.

Interrobang was sent a copy of the release in anticipation of their upcoming tour and as someone who has never listened to the music of the John Butler Trio, I was excited to give it a listen and see what such a veteran artist has to offer.

The album opens with a catchy tune, the types one pictures playing behind a movie’s road trip montage or in the next iPhone commercial. That is to say, “Tahitian Blue”, which analyses the ups and downs of a relationship throughout the adventures one may go on during their life, is a definite hit.

Between the catchy, opening instrumental hook, positive lyrics and upbeat tempo, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect single to open the album.

In addition to the opening song, many other uptempo tracks on this album follow a classic pop, folk production with elements of roots and country cleverly woven throughout. Other songs to look out for in this style include the driving and aptly named “Running Away”, as well as the happy go lucky “Just Call”.

The title track off of the album left me wanting more however, being vastly different in production and personality from the previously mentioned songs. Between the slow tempo, trap-like groove and the lack of organic instruments, “HOME” seemed to come out of left field, presenting an unexpected turn in the album’s direction.

This is not to say that the song was poorly executed, however. Independent of the album it may have served as great single, but the stripped down, electronic sound felt lacklustre after the epic folk-pop soundscape that “Tahitian Blue” had to offer.

Unfortunately this was not the only song on the album that posed this issue for the listener and perhaps the only problem that the songs on HOME present is their lack of continuity when presented as a unit. One can assume that this is partially due to several producers’ involvement on this album, each bringing their own personal flavour to the tracks they worked on.

Nevertheless, the songs themselves are quite well written and many of the tracks deal with heavier emotions and themes that are not easy to write about from a personal standpoint.

In a press release with Nettwerk Music Group, John Butler shared that a number of the songs and the overall concept for the album sprung out of the anxiety he was feeling when facing a new chapter in his life. “[HOME] is a body of work that reflects the inner and outer worlds I was experiencing and observing in this challenging chapter of my life. As dark as all this probably sounds, there’s a lot of redemption on this album. It turns out that breakdowns can lead to breakthroughs,” Butler said.

This new outlook on life certainly shows in the songwriting and lyrical content of the album. Despite the odd shortcomings and unexpected flavour here and there, HOME is certainly worth taking the time to listen to.

Those interested in doing so can find HOME on all major streaming sites such as Spotify or Apple Music. Additional information on the John Butler Trio and their tour with stops in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto can go to JohnButlerTrio.com.