Strangely enough although Chris Murphy is part of TUNS, for the most part TUNS’ self-titled debut album has more of the jangly 60s pop sensibility usually associated with his Sloan mate Jay Ferguson. TUNS is Murphy, plus Matt Murphy and Mike O’Neill, three who were at the forefront of Canada’s 90s indie assault on the nation’s mainstream, Matt in Flashing Lights and O’Neill in the Inbreds.

With their combined talents its a given the album is going to be accomplished, they are among the finest songwriters, so really its just a case of figuring out what direction the supergroup of super friends and its a simple turn they took, a melding of what they are individually known for.

Mostly TUNS sound like a band that listened to a lot of Sloan and 90s era Cancon indie, a band like the Taylor Knox Band, which is not to say they sound like the sum of the parts, maybe the sum of their parts' parts; “Mind Your Manners” digs into early Joe Jackson with a chorus K-Os could be crooning, “To Your Satisfaction” nudges April Wine “Sign of the Gypsy Queen”, “Its My Lonely Life” touches onto Wings and “Throw It All Away” picks up Buffalo Springfield’s “Flying On The Ground.”

The allusions are there, but its the lyrically allusions that shed the most light, titles "Back Amongst Friends" and "Look Who's Back in Town" checkmark their collective past. To be back however one must have left and the three grew in different directions. Its their growth apart not just their roots together that show on this record.

The album is out on Hollarado’s label, Royal Mountain, making TUNS labelmates with Alvvays and PUP. TUNS will be opening for Hollerado who play the Moustache Club in Oshawa Sep 8 2016