After the massive success of their breakthrough singles ‘Let Me Down Easy’ and ‘Geronimo’ Brisbane five piece Sheppard toured the world, performed on some of the biggest talk shows and opened for the likes of Justin Bieber, Little Mix and Meghan Trainor. Their sophomore studio album ‘Watching The Sky’ has been a long time coming with a lot of set backs along the way but the 14 track record is finally here. The album boasts a collection of some of their most recent radio favourites like ‘Coming Home’, ‘Keeps Me Crazy’, ‘We Belong’, ‘Edge Of The Night’ and ‘Riding The Wave’. On a first listen these songs can come across a little gimmicky and cheesy but after a few listens you will singing and bopping along to their undeniably infectious and feel good hooks. The rest of the album follows their lead with catchy hooks and smooth harmonies that the sibling lead vocalists Amy and George Sheppard deliver so soothingly. I was waiting for a sassy track like ‘A Grade Playa’ or the angsty ‘Find Someone’ but this album says clear from that sound. The closest we get is the Amy lead track ‘Love Me Now’ which has a slight disco production but the chorus is still classic pop. ‘Castaways’ and ‘I Was Lost’ delivers sun soaked euphoric goodness that will have you ready to hit the highway whilst the cheesy ‘Call Me Up’ and ‘Choke’ are a little forgettable. They do offer a fair few mature ballads that hear them heading towards a different and exciting sound. Their strongest element is their harmonies and when they focus on that and their honest storytelling they really do shine. ‘Live For You’ and ‘Sorry’ lead these stripped back moments but I would love to hear them completely strip it back with a folk inspired acoustic track because George’s vocals would excel with that sound. But this record hears them offering a consistent collection of upbeat pop that will continue to add to their feel-good live show.Whilst it may not be for everyone this record does show a strong growth in their songwriting and hears them perfecting even catchier hooks than their breakthrough hits.
You can purchase a copy of Sheppards new album from Sanity here; https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2372209/Watching_The_Sky