Over the course of the 2010s, The Wonder Years got out – and they learned a hell of a lot along the way. If Sister Cities is a reflection on anything, though, it’s that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
Travelling the world and playing music is all The Wonder Years ever wanted – but it comes at the cost of not being home when they need it the most, like in opener ‘Raining in Kyoto’. Vocalist Dan Campbell is inconsolable throughout his band’s sixth album, craving human contact as the world goes by in the window seat. His reflections and confessions go up against wave crashes of drums and guitar, often cathartically yelled over the top of them just to be heard.
Sister Cities is a challenging, confronting album for long-time fans of the band. There are no easy answers and no real resolutions to the conflict bristling within these songs. Still, if anything, that makes you want to invest in it more.
7.5/10
