While Battle of the Nudes' intimate opener “Into the Night” revisits the kitchen-party hootenanny scene of Downie’s 2001 debut, Coke Machine Glow, his second solo effort swiftly proves itself to be a far more raucous album. Still, the vibe is several degrees looser than the typical Tragically Hip album: “Figment” is a rumbling, fuzz-covered rocker sent aloft on ascendant harmonies and screeching crescendos, while the garage grunt “We’re Hardcore” sounds like a cheerleader pep rally staged in a haunted house. But moments of beauty do emerge from the melee, particularly the piano-rolled '60s-pop bounce of “Pascal’s Submarine.”
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