Across two enjoyable releases, ‘North’ (2019) and ‘Scene’ (2022), San Francisco’s The Morning Line celebrated a very 90s brand of pop rock, with an array of songs driven by jangling guitars and harmonious vocals. Often sounding like a cross between peak Connells and the lighter elements of Soul Asylum circa ‘Candy From A Stranger’, their best songs had the power to uplift, and in the case of ‘Looking Right At You’ and ‘Make Believe’ (very much highlights from ‘Scene’) even shared a nostalgic quality, despite being newly written.

The band’s first new music for four years, this two track release captures The Morning Line’s sun-filled, heavy jangle sounding bigger and brighter than ever. ‘90s Pickup’ opens with a couple of huge sounding chords falling somewhere between The Connells and early Matchbox Twenty in terms of overall feel and tone, but the swift arrival of a clean jangle really seals the deal. Within about three bars, the band hit upon a brand of retro pop rock/power pop that’s overflowing with love and nostalgia, but it’s a clean, slightly rootsy vocal really sells a great melody. Having caught their audience’s attention, things escalate quickly, firstly with a pre-chorus that stokes up the rootsy edge with the help of a softly applied slide guitar sound, but really hitting peak on a great power pop infused chorus where a more harmonic vocal takes centre stage. The Morning Line aren’t content with letting things settle there, though: a very melodic middle eight adds a great key change and an extra dose of melody, ensuring that those who already like this track will soon love it. Chorus wise, things aren’t perhaps quite as direct as the verse deserved, but in terms of overall melody and feel, this is top tier Morning Line fare.

‘This Lens’, by contrast, is slightly more of a slow burner. The mid tempo arrangement makes great use of an acoustic-electric blend, and the way punchy bass notes are allowed to take the lead gives a simple melody a great lift. A little less Soul Asylum and a lot more Edward O’Connell/Pete Droge influenced, there’s a pleasing power pop/Americana fusion at work, which consistently makes the best of Brian Mello’s guitar work, but also brings out a little more of a richness in Stephen Smith’s natural vocal. Looking a little deeper, however, a lack of obvious immediate chorus hook means the music is left to do a little more of the heavy lifting, before a huge sounding middle eight finally unleashes the song’s most rousing melody. Arrangement-wise, this makes ‘This Lens’ feel a little uneven, but it’s almost guaranteed that extant Morning Line fans will love what they hear.

Four years on from their ‘Scene’ long player, this overdue return for The Morning Line finds the band sounding great, even if one of this pairing doesn’t seem quite as sharp on first listen. Both tracks are brilliantly played and produced, though, showing how a DIY spirit need not mean cheap or lo-fi sounding songs. What really comes across during this short listen is how much Smith’s vocal conveys a real familiarity – especially in conjunction with the band’s chosen musical style; despite being recorded in 2025 and released at the beginning of the following year, The Morning Line have hit a very powerful vein of 90s adult pop-rock once more, resulting in something that sounds like a perfect tribute to gently alternative radio fare from the past that’s definitely worth checking out.

January 2025