Will Varley is back with his 7th turn around the album cycle with Machines Will Never Learn To Make Mistakes Like Me. At this point in an artists career the expectation is that they have there art down to a fine craft and while good it is maybe a little bit samey. It’s a trap a lot of musicians can find themselves falling into, it becomes an exercise in paint by numbers and dwindling returns as the passion can start to run a little dry. I can gladly tell you that isn’t the case with this folk hero.
Will still has plenty to show and tell with his upbeat folk tunes. This album feels like it was released at the perfect time of year, it’s very much the kind of easy summer evening soundtrack. The suns going down, the barbeque is in full swing and that nice summer breeze has just started to cool the air. This is the time to crack the stereo and put Wills latest album on.
With the perfect mix of steady guitar and soulful lyrics it is peak summer soundtrack. With plenty of stand out tracks, most of which will find homes in my many and varied playlist collection, songs like Never Get Tired Of Loving You bring a sweet and heartfelt little smile to my face as I listen. While Home Before The World Ends is a highlight as Varly is joined by Bastille frontman Dan Smith to add some lovely harmony vocals to match with him.
This is an album I will gladly add to my seasonal daily music rotation. It scratches an itch in a part of my brain that hasn’t been scratched since the debut James Vincent McMorrow album. So, much like that album I look forward to seeing tracks from this little gem still appearing in my songs of the year playlists 15 years from now.
9/10
Machines Will Never Learn To Make Mistakes Like Me is out now Via Folketown/MRNK music.
