7 song album
Farther from Near, the 2025 release from Boston-area singer/songwriter Tad Overbaugh and his crack band, is a throwback to the CDs you listened to in your parents’ Saturn while driving to the Cape in the summer of 1993. The album mixes the kind of midtempo, glossy guitar earnestness usually associated with producer T Bone Burnett, with a nice layer of the I-am-not-from-the-south-but-you-don’t-care six-string stank that made Dave Alvin popular with the Blasters. Think a more sober Replacements or a slightly sloshed Son Volt, and you’re in the neighborhood. There’s a consistency to the tempo that makes it a great driving record, but it also blends the songs together more than intended. “Got My Back,” a sinewy bass-groove ballad that shows off the band’s tight harmonies, is the most sonically interesting cut. “Rearview” and “Only Happy at Happy Hour” have strong hooks that elevate the songs above the somewhat tired metaphors of mirrors and barstools, respectively. “Mended Man” and “July” are the obvious tracks to download, especially if you’re headed out of town this weekend and want something to keep your spirits as smooth as the road. (Oliver Yaboraworski)