Paul McCann: Alter Ego – Power pop humdingers

Cavan singer, songwriter and power pop aficionado Paul McCann knows his way around a tune, as his 2018 (appropriately titled) debut album, Here Comes the Rapture, proved. McCann’s new album continues his pursuit of the perfect pop song and, by and large, he captures it.

The way he tells it in the liner notes, the new batch of songs registered various emotions of life events pre-/during/post-pandemic times: anger, heartache, bewilderment, love and contemplation. In essence, the creative processes applied during the recording of Alter Ego proved beneficial; some of the album, he says, “wasn’t easy to write or record, but it certainly helped me come out the other side with some shred of sanity remaining”.

Despite the sombre narratives, the songs here are like sonic zip lines: they hurtle from the top to the bottom with ease and accuracy, and unlike his debut, McCann collaborates with like-minded musicians that lend their own textures.

One of the best tracks, the pop/rock stomper Something Has Changed, features former Ash (and sometimes Bat for Lashes) guitarist Charlotte Hatherley; other guests include Jason Falkner (Jellyfish, Beck) pulling his guitar weight on another couple of decorative pop humdingers, Lost in This Moment and Where Has the Music Gone.

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[ Paul McCann: Here Comes the Rapture review – Better late than never ]

Old-fashioned? Bucking against the tide? Go home, grandad? Ah, bite your tongue and hold your whisht – McCann has such an assured touch only crusty killjoys would hesitate to hum along.