MISTER HEAVENLY - Boxing The Moonlight (180g, Dark Purple Vinyl)

Label: Polyvinyl

Mister Heavenly dabbled in love and affection on their first record, 2011’s Out of Love. This time, however, Ryan Kattner, Nicholas Thorburn and Joe Plummer are in a scrappy mood as they embrace a tougher sound on the band’s new album, Boxing the Moonlight.

Kattner and Thorburn started Mister Heavenly in 2010 as a chance to collaborate for the sheer fun of it, and they soon invited Plummer to join them.

After releasing Out of Love in 2011, the band started work on their second album, snatching a few days at a time whenever their cluttered schedules allowed: Kattner is also known as Man Man visionary Honus Honus, Thorburn was busy with his bands Islands and the Unicorns (both now dormant), and Plummer plays with Cold War Kids and has worked with Modest Mouse and the Shins. If it sounds eclectic, that’s no coincidence, though Mister Heavenly’s knack for catchy hooks ensures that it all hangs together with remarkable cohesion.