Endless Now

“Tame the Sun” opens up the second album by Britain’s Male Bonding, sounding surprisingly — like various ‘90s indie bands run through a pop filter. But as *Endless Now* progresses, John Webb’s brighter guitar sound and the reverb sheen on his (and bass player Kevin Hendrick’s) vocals morph from a sweet froth on tracks like “Tame the Sun” and “Carrying” to a grittier foam topping off tunes like “Bones” and “What’s That Scene.” Fans of their debut can rest easy: any concerns of the trio going soft will be allayed as the listener makes their way through *Endless Now*. Male Bonding hasn’t softened so much as clarified: there is a purity of sound that allows their tunes resonate with more permanence. They cleanly layer ringing, melodic guitars with breakneck speeds and halcyon harmonies, and while there is not a surfeit of fuzz to be found, songs like “Mysteries Complete” have an astounding amount of stickiness while maintaining an aggressive, densely packed energy. *Endless Now* feels far from endless. On some plays, it’s just too short.

Recording with John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile), the British punks clean up their sound a bit on their latest Sub Pop LP.

‘Endless Now’ sees the group advancing further towards the potential that was palpable on their first album.

Although Male Bonding just released their excellent debut, Nothing Hurts, in the middle of last year, they’re already back with a follow-up.

When Male Bonding released their debut ‘Nothing Hurts’ last year, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

London-based trio Male Bonding improve on their pop-punk debut with a second barrage of hooks and harmonies, writes <strong>Phil Mongredien</strong>

The second album from the raucous Londoners offers diminishing returns. <strong>Tom Hughes</strong> is disappointed