7/10

Like so many new on artists on the rise right now, much of their acclaim and praise arrived in the midst of the pandemic. Max Pope and many others like him were finding themselves building a broad and diverse fanbase at the exact same time no one was able to see them live. This has led to an influx of artists shaped and moulded by the frustrations of those times, but given his demeanour, you wouldn't think that it had bothered him at all. So after many months of build up, he now returns to deliver his debut studio album 'Counting Sheep', a record that sees him lean on the brighter side of life.

Throughout the last few years, we have listened as Max Pope moved from a young and exciting newcomer to one of the UK's most beloved rising acts. Sweet and sweeping within his material, his direction matured at such a rapid rate it was almost hard to keep up with. And on 'Counting Sheep' we see him in his most progressive guise yet. Moving away from the glossy pop-rock that littered his infancy, this new collection adopts a smooth and alluring psych-pop energy that sees him burst out of his shell and unveil a wonderfully loveable full-length, perfect for these warming summer months.

While 'Counting Sheep' is not the most groundbreaking of entires this year, what he does he does very well. Filled with this subtle simplicity within his writing that conjures up warm and captivating imagery from start to finish, he has taken a carefree approach to this new release, something that oozes out of it at every opportunity.