Duncan Pelletier – ‘Those Last Days’ [Album Review]

Maine-based country/alt-rock singer-songwriter Duncan Pelletier has released his latest long player, Those Last Days, exploring leitmotifs of mortality, memory, and regret wrapped in a sense of lightheartedness.

Pelletier explains, “A couple of the songs are leftovers from years ago, but most were written in 2020 and 2021.”

Recorded in Pelletier’s Portland, Maine bedroom, Those Last Days was co-produced by Ned Rich, Pelletier’s upstairs neighbour, friend, and mixing engineer. Rich contributed mixing, drums, and electric guitar on the album.

Pelletier’s sound braids elements of pop, blue-eyed soul, and soft rock into music that’s both easy to listen to and emotionally persuasive.

Of the ten tracks on Those Last Days, those that deserve special attention include “Exit,” blending tints of country, soul, and funk-lite into a melody vaguely reminiscent of Hootie & The Blowfish – shiny, yet low-slung and catchy.

Light, shimmery textures and a drawling steel guitar infuse “Nothing More to Come” with dreamy, almost transient, colours as Pelletier’s smooth vocals give the lyrics an introspective atmosphere.

Pelletier says, “[‘Nothing More to Come’] is about not being able to scrape off the stink of your own past. About how everything is a reminder of it, and how that is the least surprising thing in the world.”

Duncan Pelletier, photo by Eliot Pelletier

A personal favourite because of its amalgamation of pop and Americana, “Nowhere At All” conjures up suggestions of Bruce Hornsby. Pelletier’s phrasing takes on a delicious swaying feel, imbuing the tune with a gentle thoughtfulness.

“Start Right Here” features a glowing organ and an affecting rhythm, as well as gleaming guitars. It’s Pelletier’s delivery – velvety and resonant – that imbues the tune with a delightfully irresistible feel.

Discussing the song, Pelletier shares, “This is a song about being frustrated with yourself on a fundamental level. About having given up so long ago that it becomes part of your nature to turn away from any kind of connection, genuine or perceived.”

The last track on the album, “Unifier,” travels on an upbeat-lite melody as Pelletier sings about the concept of mortality and its inevitability.

“Saw it in a dream / Drifting toward a looser kind of unifying theme / In the warm light of the morning I still don’t know what it means / Looking back to see what I can find.”

There’s a wonderful looking back sensation to Those Last Days, evoking a mood of wistful nostalgia that’s enchanting and intimate.

Those Last Days Track Listing:

1. Exit
2. More Drugs
3. Nothing More To Come
4. Up To Me
5. Nowhere At All
6. For A While
7. Give Up Again
8. Start Right Here
9. Gone
10. Unifier

Run Time: 34:31
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Record Label: Trailing Twelve Records