Sons of Sevilla - Street Light Moon (2025) Hi-Res

Sons Of Sevilla are Henry and Reuben Smith, and they are actually sons of Featherstone, West Yorkshire. The title of their second album Street Light Moon came from seeing an old streetlight that was glowing in the rain in their home town, though that appears to be the only allusion to their origins. This is not an album about rugby league, pits, and brass bands. It was recorded in Austin, Texas, though it sounds as Californian as the Beach Boys. The PR blurb says that Street Light Moon is “for endless summers and retro-futurist reveries,” and it certainly is one for sitting in a park with friends and Chardonnay as the sun takes its time to go to bed. It didn’t prompt me to think about steampunk, but as I have just written the word ‘steampunk’, I suppose it did prompt me to think about it. Fair play, PR person.

First track and first single ‘All The While’ sets the woozy tone. If it had been released by Tame Impala, it would be a 10 on Pitchfork. Geoff Mann, son of the American jazz flautist Herbie Mann, provides ‘70s theme tune’ flute on title track ‘Street Light Moon’, which sounds like MGMT leading a campfire song, with a dash of Calexico desert noir. ‘Do Me A Favour’ has the languid, ethereal air of the Oklahoma-based Broncho. The description of next track ‘Life in the Sky’ as “a world that’s caught halfway between the Summer of Love and modern-day Coachella” is so apt, I may as well repeat it here. It includes ‘70s cop striding through the mean streets’ wah-wah guitar. Other psychedelic references are available, but let’s stick with comparing ‘Birds Fly’ with ‘Strawberry Fields’.

If Wim Wenders ever gets round to making a Paris, Texas sequel, he should ask Sons Of Sevilla if he can use ‘Watching On’. Hell, maybe he should just ask them to write the whole soundtrack. Imagine The Zutons’ ‘Valerie’ slowed down a notch and with extra funky swagger and you have ‘My Little Fighter’. ‘Butterfly’ is the aural equivalent of sunshine lighting up the living room after a moderately large scratchcard win, and should be used for a sofa advert even though advertising and capitalism are evil. ‘Needless To Say’ includes ‘Logical Song’-like keyboard and is all the better for it. On album closer ‘Tenderly’, someone is promised a trip to town so they can let their hair down, though this unfurling of locks will undoubtedly be done at a very relaxed pace.

Sons Of Sevilla aren’t a million miles away from the wistful surf rock of Spectrals (aka Louis Jones) from nearby Heckmondwike on the other side of the M1. What is it about the heavily populated landscape south of Leeds that inspires northern lads to sound as though they were raised on Pacific shores? It’s not reet good anymore – it’s awesome! Sons Of Sevilla have stopped stroking whippets and started threading flowers through their hair, and as the kids say these days, we’re here for it.