Sundowner’s second record was way too long to wait for. Three years does not seem that long, but when you consider how much the Lawrence Arms have done in four, it is much to be desired. I guess this kind of coincides with the Lawrence Arms EP that came out last year, but it is more than a consolation prize. Chris McCaughan has a really solid follow up record here that surpasses his debut effort.

What makes We Chase the Waves so good is the fact that all ten songs are original songs. There are no Lawrence Arms covers you’ve already heard a million times and no songs he put out beforehand under different monikers. That was the biggest problem with Four One Five Two, there weren’t not enough original songs to get really excited about. So, for this record McCaughan did us all a favor and didn’t put all the best parts of this record out beforehand. Instead he crafted ten great songs that you can sit down and enjoy without any spoilers.

McCaughan reminds me of that one guy you know that would spill his guts over a few beers, but you really want to listen to his drunken banter. As a non-drinker, everthing I ever wanted to know about being drunk I can learn from McCaughan. And let me tell you, I listen to the fullest extent. McCaughan’s introspective lyrics have always hit close to home. Even with a baseball refrence in one of the song titles and a short country song, McCaughan keeps his serious tone throughout the record.

It doesn’t get any more personal then this stripped down McCaughan and it seems that this is where he is at his best. Though this isn’t the Lawrence Arms full length I have been waiting for, this is way better than his first solo debut and I can’t wait to hopefully hear this new songs in a live setting.