4 out of 5

Label: self-released

Produced by: Chris Common

Though described as ‘punk’ by its meta tags and in some reviews, I prefer the band’s / Davis’ description of their sound: punk-flavored alternative folk. Because this isn’t punk, but it’s not exactly rock, nor is it exactly folk, nor is it exactly indie. At different points in Davis’ career, before and after this album, as a solo artist or with The Murder Police, their music definitely took on forms closer to those genres, but with Never A Moment Alone, we’re at a crossroads between That Dog 90s alterna-pop and latter-day Liz Phair indie gloss, sprinkled with cowpunk sass, and illustrated (and written) like a sassy storybook. The riffs run deep across these 12 tracks, produced and mixed with a lot of warmth by Chris Common, who helps to add dimension to a generic – but pleasant – setup, and perhaps encourages some interesting digressions occasional tracks will go on, with momentary bursts of harder rocking or acoustic breaks.

Generic is undercutting that followup qualifier: Never A Moment is a sincerely fun disc, with each track landing on solid hooks and Davis painting robut tales around some central image or metaphor. It’s all a stone’s throw from a song you feel you’ve heard before (hence the generic tag), but played with a ton of energy and sincerity, the not-this-not-that genre wrinkles giving the group a very identifiable sound, even with the familiarity.

All that said, the album is ultimately lacking in a bit of range. Everything is played in approximately the same range and at the same pace; the crossroads and light genre-mashing also seemed to limit the group from giving us stuff on the edges: a slower track, or an all-out rocker, etc.

So there’s a tradeoff: this is the Murder Police album that most befits that “punk-flavored alternative folk” description, which is really enjoyable middleground to hang out in, and to do for quite a while. Once the hangout is done, though, the melody that sticks in your head isn’t specific – but it does stick!