8/10

Throughout their tenure to date, Toronto-based outfit Kiwi Jr. have stood as one of the more adventurous and dynamic indie-rock groups on the circuit today. With their previous studio LPs 'Football Money' and 'Cooler Returns' taking their fuzzy and textured appeal to new and inventive heights as often as possible, they generated a buzz that cemented them as a broad continuation of what made the early noughties sound such an engaging direction. But for their third studio album 'Chopper', they seem more interested in pursuing a calmer guise that reflects their maturing attitude.

Rather than flood the release with raw and energetic offerings like their predecessors, 'Chopper' is what the band have described as their “night-time record," a far warmer and inviting effort as a result. Wearing their influences very much on their sleeves, notable nods to the likes of The Strokes, Parquet Courts, and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever can ben heard littered from start to finish, as they aim to refine their more frenzied moments and deliver a flurry of sweet and alluring charm that really strikes a chord throughout.

Very much an evolution of their style to date, 'Chopper' feels like their most comfortable and confident studio release so far. Each track offers up this light and inviting atmosphere that really draws you in and displays some of the most imaginative songwriting of their career thus far.