Stephen Clair – ‘Transmissions’ [Album Review]

Two years in the making, Stephen Clair and his band The Small Hours have released their eleventh studio album, Transmissions, produced by Clair with Will Bryant and mastered by Brandon Morrison.

Recorded at The Building in Marlboro, New York, Clair (guitar, vocals) and his bandmates, Daria Grace (backing vocals, bass) and Aaron Latos (drums), went old school on the album, which explains why the album took so long.

Transmissions features nine new tracks. Entry points include “Waiting Around,” a song reminiscent of early Tom Petty, with its gleaming guitars and shifting harmonic structure. The darker, edgier “Vegas Sunrise” summons a Weezer-like sound, highlighted by a loose rhythmic feel topped by a humming ’80s synth accent.

“Cigarette! Cigarette!” blends a rockabilly melody with a glittering, Jerry Lee Lewis-flavoured piano and retro vocal harmonies into a galvanizing tune with beaucoup pizzazz. A personal favourite, “Naomi’s Phone Is Dead,” rolls out on Grace’s thrumming bassline as Clair’s chronicling vocals give the lyrics a sing-song flow à la Golden Earring.

Another excellent track, the low-slung, throbbing feel of “Take This Walk With Me,” offers shadowy, dreamy surfaces as Clair’s deep vocals imbue the lyrics with noir, smouldering timbres.

Transmissions is a delicious verification of the musical and vocal chemistry of Stephen Clair, Daria Grace, and Aaron Latos.

Stephen Clair, photo by Tony Cenicola

Transmissions Track Listing:

1. Waiting Around
2. Vega Sunrise
3. Blue and Red Lines
4. Cigarette! Cigarette!
5. It’s So Strange
6. Fritz
7. Naomi’s Phone Is Dead
8. Swept Away
9. Take This Walk With Me

Run Time: 26:38
Release Date: October 11, 2024
Record Label: Independent