Sundancer

Sundancer is the seventh album, drawing high-quality melodic rock through soaring vocals, delicate guitar phrases and choruses that open naturally. Recorded from 2011 to 2012 and released in 2013 on Avalon in Japan and Steamhammer/SPV in Europe. The title and artwork are a clear nod to Rainmaker, the band's international breakthrough; Ritgen has said they also share a reflection of an age where reality has become hard to see. Twenty-three years on, it's a recording by the unchanged four, self-produced. Rather than pushing forward with flash, the stance of carefully drawing each song's air and shifting emotion stands out. From the rock feel of the opener “Troubled Love” and “Hit and Run,” the shadow of “Real Love,” the weight of “Man in the Mirror,” the dry texture of “Jealous Heart,” to the bluesy taste of the lone ballad “Send Me a Dream,” the singing's expression emerges the further you go. For the first time in the band's history, three songs were co-written by everyone; Ritgen and Engelke wrote the rest. A record that leaves a warm afterglow.