Believer

Three albums in and it feels like Blue Cactus, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, have finally found themselves. In truth, their previous albums had plenty of charm and some great tunes, but they’ve never been as cohesive as on Believer. Part of this lies in the fact that Steph Stewart is now leading the vocal charge on all of the songs, instead of sharing the role with the group’s other half, Mario Arnez, allowing him to focus on the music. They’ve also given up on the old-time country, honky-tonk schtick, focusing instead on a loping cosmic Americana with Stewart’s vocals played straight and yearning. Combine that with some of the best harmonising they’ve ever done – channelling their inner Flying Burrito Brothers on swoon-tastic tracks like ‘Resolution’ – and their songs have never sounded so good. ‘This Kind of Rain’ and ‘Bite My Tongue’ are the two big earworms, Stewart’s voice riding the grooves and Arnez’ guitar hitting on some winning Lindsey Buckingham riffs. But there’s variety, too; the slide-tastic closer ‘Gone’ is George Jones without any of the schlock, while ‘Take All Day’ incorporates synths for an ambient trip that still carries a melodic punch. I’m a Believer!