Review THE ANSWER ‘Sundowners’

For several years, The Answer have been one of the highlights of a revived retro rock scene whose musical roots can be traced back in the 70s. Founded in 2000, the Northern Irishmen achieved a first respectable achievement with their debut album ‘Rise’ and made their breakthrough with the second release ‘Everyday Demon’. Besides the excellent music, it was also the chance to open for AC/DC that allowed The Answer to introduce themselves to a larger audience.

In the meantime, it has been more than five years since the band released ‘Solas’, their sixth album. ‘Sundowners’ now ends the waiting period and after the band also changed the label, nothing stands in the way of another promising step.

After a hiatus of a few years it was in April 2022 when the four guys were together in the studio for the first time after seven years and without a long period of familiarization they were right at the start with full energy.

When listening to ‘Sundowners’, one notices that the hiatus has certainly done some good to the band. Instead of wearing themselves out in an album-tour-album beat, the break gave the band members a reset moment.

‘Sundowners’ opens with the title track, a seven-minute ode to classic rock. After an intro-like beginning, the track evolves into a thumping song that sounds like a salute to bands like Led Zeppelin. Driven by a tight groove, the song is the ideal introduction to the album.

Good vibes, that’s what ‘California Rust’ spreads. The song brings the spirit of rock’n’roll to the point and exudes a lot of power.

Photo Rob Blackham

‘Sundowners’ knows no weak spot and tunes like ‘Oh Cherry’ are very well crafted songs that never sound old-fashioned despite their 70s roots. On the contrary. What The Answer deliver on their new album blasts out of the speakers in a fresh and dynamic fashion. You can sense that these guys are hungry.

This is also noticeable in the bluesy ‘No Salvation’ which flows intensively and yet soulfully into the auditory canals. Also, the thumping ‘All Together’ is a song not to be missed and it’s ‘Livin’ on the Line’ that makes your heart of rock beat faster.

For those wondering if The Answer will be able to return to their former glory after their hiatus, we can say that the expectations of a great album are fully met. These eleven songs are fun and very entertaining. One can already look forward to the upcoming live shows, because those seem to become a real rock’n’roll party.