3/5 stars

The most commercially anticipated release to come out of Winnipeg in the last month was, without a doubt, Best of Our Possible Lives by Boy Golden. “Suffer,” the lead single, hit number one on the Billboard Canada modern rock chart and kept its spot for twelve consecutive weeks.

The fourth EP from Liam Duncan’s alternative country persona is a collection of groove-filled, laid-back songs. In a sense, it feels like the experience of standing in a lake. Waves move up and down on the surface, but the rest of your body stays chilled and relaxed underneath.

The album is bookended by four highlights. “Suffer” is a bluesy rock song capturing a widely relatable annoyance with our current world. Next, “The Matter at Hand” has a fun beat that keeps a listener on their toes and a chorus reminiscent of the Black Keys — which is ironic, given that “Suffer” dethroned the Black Keys for its number one spot. At the opposite end, “You Got It” has a slower beat to it, driven by a swung two-chord accent. Finally, the title track keeps an upbeat shuffle appropriate for a love song and leaves the listener feeling optimistic as the album comes to a close.

That being said, the record contains a lot of filler — songs that are not bad, per se, but not particularly interesting either. The music is composed and mixed for Boy Golden’s vocals to be the focus, yet he does little to capture that attention. He sings in a neutral tone, remaining inside a narrow range of pitches with few expressive melodies or hooks. Two songs feature Cat Clyde on backup vocals, but she sings practically the same as Boy Golden. Most songs do not seem to have a clear lyrical subject either, opting for vague themes instead.

The album could use more from the rhythm section, too. The drums are played minimally. Simple grooves drive the songs, but many of these lines are only played back and forth between guitar or bass. They rarely incorporate both instruments at the same time.

There is a captivating higher-pitched hook in the song “Eyes,” and a moody guitar riff in the chorus of “Cowboy Dreams (feat. Cat Clyde),” but overall, Duncan restrains himself too much from using the talents he has in those moments. Much of the record comes across as if it was intended to be background music.

Best of Our Possible Lives is decent, but not the best possible album Boy Golden could have made. I give it three stars.