Haley Bonar Impossible Dream

Haley Bonar harks back to an era when musicians were grafters, constantly working at their craft, refining and honing. For the prolific singer songwriter, this is her thirteenth release since 2001 – a prodigious work rate – and it shows. She’s always tried to bend her folksy Americana into a more pop template, and while occasionally stepping outside those lines – as on 2006’s bleak, sparse ‘Lure The Fox’ – ‘Impossible Dream’ sees her walk the middle ground, and to great effect.

All ten tracks here find Bonar sure-footed and in a confident mood, from the fuzzy energy of ‘Kismet Kill’ to the slow, anthemic ‘Jealous Girls’; it almost scans as her own personal Greatest Hits collection. But more than anything, it showcases Bonar’s ability to write simple yet catchy melodies and sweet hooks that function like dopamine and float through the mind like a warm summer breeze. “Something’s got into your head” she sings on the lazy, meandering ‘Skynz’, and she’s absolutely right.