British singer-songwriter David Christian has been a champion of the tender, literary and challenging corners of indie pop for decades. In recent years we enjoyed a stream of idiosyncratic DIY solo releases—For Those We Met On The Way and Rekkords! stood out for me—but now we see him reunited with Comet Gain, the punk ‘n’ soul-tinged outfit founded in 1992, bringing back the beat of the veins.
The twelve songs on the Letters To Ordinary Outsiders LP are wayward postcards to any believer who feels addressed—chiming romance soaked in miscellaneous nostalgia and modern-day melancholy. The conversations between band members that precede the music, sometimes poetic and sometimes self-mocking, contribute to the intimate and straightforward character that always shines through.
Beneath its semi-nonchalant charm lies a rock-solid record with tight interplay and lyrical depth. Comet Gain is still fighting the good fight with heart, hooks, and just enough weird.
Letters To Ordinary Outsiders—produced by Sean Read—is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Tapete Records. Featuring David Christian (vocals, guitar), Ben Phillipson (guitar), Rachel Evans (vocals), Robin Christian (percussion), Anne Laure Guillain (keyboards) and James Hornsey (bass), with additional vocal, brass and keyboard contributions from Sean Read.