After more than a decade off, the Berkley power pop band Lunchbox is back with what is easily their finest collection of songs. A little goofy, but immensely fun, Lunchbox Loves You is 10 indie pop songs brimming with jangly guitars, sing-along choruses and plenty of handclaps.
Infectiously optimistic, the band has slimmed down the line up a bit, as well as their influences (Assuming The Apples In Stereo and The Kinks are in constant rotation in the tour van). Donna McKean and Tim Brown trade off vocals – each a strong singer without coming off as too polished – and this latest effort finds the band adding layer upon layer of guitars and strings.
Songs like “Tom, What’s Wrong?” and the fantastic album closer, “Tonight is Out of Sight,” are both standout tracks, but to be honest there isn’t a single song on this record that doesn’t deserve to be included. It may have taken 12 years, but Lunchbox Loves You was certainly worth waiting for.
Lunchbox – Lunchbox Loves You/10 tracks/Jigsaw Records/2014