I’ve seen Chase Huglin live twice. The first time, he was opening for Brian Swindle’s (of Have Mercy) solo tour. Then, I saw him play earlier this year when he opened for Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties. When he announced his new full-length, Will the Sun Ever Come Back, I was psyched.

Chase is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has two EPs and (now) two full-lengths. His first album, You Deserve an Island, was released in 2016 and lyrically focuses on themes like the death of his mom and the end of relationships.

He released two tracks ahead of the album as singles. The first is the opener, “Both of Us”. It’s a fitting first single, as it provides a great sense of the album’s direction and was a solid choice. The next single, however, isn’t my favorite. It’s called “June Bug”. It doesn’t really fit the tone of the album but it’s still a cute song. The track I really liked is called “Heaven Come My Way”. It’s the fourth track on the album and I love the way he transitions from the verse to the chorus.

The tune of Will the Sun Ever Come Back doesn’t change much from his last release. It’s still pretty sad and downcast. He focuses a lot more on the end of relationships in this one, rather than death, which I guess is kind of an improvement? At least he’s doing better with some things.

Something that has changed from the last album to this one is the addition of a full band. It really rounds out the sound and is a welcome change. You Deserve an Island was mainly him and an acoustic guitar. It fit the theme and the direction he aimed for. He’s managed to do the same with this album. It’s great to see what someone can do with minimal instruments but to see him accomplish the same things with such a change in sound is really impressive.

The one thing I’m not  super huge fan of in this album is how sonically continuous it is. It kind of drones on. There’s a fine line between a good and a bad sense of continuity. I could chalk it up to Chase still being kind of new to making music. There’s this idea that you have your entire life to write your first album, and a lot less time to write your second. An artist’s first album is often the best display of their personality and the things that are important to them. I saw this in Chase’s first album, and, while obviously there are stark differences between this album and his last, the two albums are so closely intertwined that Will the Sun Ever Come Back is almost volume two to You Deserve An Island’s volume one.

So this album is really nice. It’s easy to listen to and has lyrics that you could draw meaning from with a little bit of thought. I’ll spin it this year when I want something familiar and low key, and I’ll definitely recommend it to friends who are looking for the same.

3.5/5

by Nadia Paiva

Nadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.