It’s been more than two decades since Semisonic last put out a full-length record. The band hinted at a full comeback with 2020’s five-song EP and a brief tour of the U.S., but Little Bit of Sun is a full-throttle commitment to fans who have grown tired of pointing out that the band – far from being a “one-hit wonder” – are so much more than the ubiquitous late ‘90s radio staple “Closing Time.” Little Bit of Sun is everything longtime followers have loved about the band, smart, relatable lyrics with big choruses, sharp hooks, and sunny melodies, blending together influences like Big Star, The Beatles, and The Connells.
“There’s a sense of hopefulness that threads its way through this record,” says Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson. “After all the turmoil and upheaval, we’ve been through these past few years, I was trying to find some optimism for myself, and I think it just naturally worked its way into these songs.”
You can hear that optimism in the very first song, the title track, where Wilson sings about needing to be rescued over a steady acoustic strum. The die is cast early on, and that optimism grows brighter as the album continues; you can hear it in “Keep Me in Motion” and in the sweet tracks that come toward the end of the record – “So Amazed” and “Only Empathy.” Even on one of the starker tracks here, “Out of the Dirt” – co-written by Lori McKenna and featuring Jason Isbell playing some gnarly lead guitar – Wilson sings “We will meet again someday.” And while there are plenty of standout tracks here, the early singles “The Rope” and “It Wasn’t Like We Hoped It Would Be” are bound to satiate those who have been waiting 20 long years for the band to finally come back together while also boasting a vibe infectious enough to bring along a whole new generation of listeners.
While the band was on hiatus, Wilson was busy becoming one of the most in-demand writing partners and producers of the past 20 years, working with some of the biggest musicians across genres, from Adele and Weezer to The Chicks and Taylor Swift. And while certainly not begrudging Wilson his well-deserved post-Semisonic success, it’s great to have the band back together again.
