As Canadians, we long for the summer. We fight through the coldest of nights and the bleakest of days; we huddle crouched in front of fire places touching each other in those small inches of exposed skin. And then summer comes and we rejoice! We strip down to our sexiest, skimpiest, most brazen attitudes and we worship wherever possible: patios, street corners, and mosquito packed folk fests across the true north, strong and free. And fret not, Radio3 lovers, Library Voices have created an album for just those moments – and when the winter returns, inevitable from its summer hibernation, Summer of Lust will remain steadfast, keeping us warm.

Crisply produced by The Besnard Lakes’ Jace Lasek, Summer of Lust is a bright and gleeful tribute to failed and false-start romances and an occasionally whispered call to arms against arts cuts and pretentious feigning. The biggest downside toSummer of Lust is it’s stark similiarity to 2010’s delish Denim on Denim. Canadians are an optimistic people and all we can do is hope album there is a little more spring than summer and a little more fall than winter.

Similarities to their own back catalogue and a rather jarring and glib ‘Intro’ aside, no band can open an album like Library Voices. Like ‘Drinking Games’ from Denim on Denim, ‘If Raymond Carver Were Born In the 90s’ makes it hard not to be instantly hooked on Summer of Lust. Part letter home from camp, part love letter and part glorious reminisce of every summer ever passed, Summer of Love really is all we want from a summer album at the end of summer. And see if you can spot the Beach Boys reference warming the back of the stellar ‘Que Sera Sarah’ and a hint of the Katrina and the Waves’ ‘Walking on Sunshine’ on ‘Anthem for A New Canadia.’

Kiss in the sunshine while you still can and let Summer of Lust be the soundtrack to all those beautiful bad choices.

Michelle Kennedy