Quivers - Golden Doubt (2021)

Australian indie pop quartet Quivers drew significant influence from the restless but jangly college rock bands of the '80s and '90s, resembling a more downtrodden Go-Betweens on their 2015 debut We'll Go Riding on the Hearses and going so far as covering R.E.M.'s 1991 classic Out of Time front to back. With Golden Doubt, Quivers continue their formula of melancholic melodies, tasteful vocal harmonies, bright guitars, and upbeat tempos, all of which come together with elevated vividness around Sam Nicholson's beautifully pained songwriting. Nicholson's songs have never shied away from difficult subject matter, and the ten tracks on Golden Doubt get into the complex feelings of relationships losing their spark, living with grief, and a general sense of uncertainty and groundlessness as life keeps moving forward. Quivers temper all of their lyrical heaviness with instrumental counterparts that range from lively to overflowingly joyous. The exuberant "Hold You Back" is a bounding collection of intertwining hooks, beginning with soaring string parts before catchy dual vocals on the chorus and overdriven guitar lines take the song from simple power pop fun to something more compelling. Straightforward and infectious jangle pop moments like "When It Breaks," and the anthemic "Gutters of Love" are joined by moodier material like the shimmering slowcore of "Videostores" or the maudlin piano-based balladry of the closing titular track. The band reach their highest ground when they find the exact midway between jaunty pop and emotional self-inspection. Album centerpiece "You're Not Always on My Mind" rides a slow but catchy chord progression and searing verses of loss and longing. The song stays centered, never veering too far into either pop abandon or tormented sentiments, but perfectly balancing Quivers' strengths. Much of Golden Doubt reaches a similar balance, with friendly, sophisticated pop song construction that makes uneasy reflections a lot easier to digest.