“Hope”, says Christian Burns - “if there’s one word that sums this album up, that’d be it”. Nowif this sounds unduly upbeat given our times, bear-with - the context will become muchclearer. The story of ‘Love Songs From Suburbia’ (for there clearly is one) begins in LosAngeles in April of 2020. Don’t get too comfy there though - in 48hrs, it’s going to be eighttimezones away.This album was spurred by not one, but two sizeable occurrences. One was global (noprizes) and the second, about as personal as they come. For the first time in decades,long-time LA resident Christian suddenly and unexpectedly felt far from home. With a realsense of the way the West Coast winds were blowing, last April he hopped a flight back tothe familial north of England. Adding extra impetus to the international situation was therecent demise of his long-term relationship. So leaving behind house, studio, car andeverything else non-suitcase-sized, he landed back in his native Greater Manchester.Writing his second artist album (the long deferred follow up to 2013’s ‘Simple ModernAnswers’) couldn’t have been further from the plan, simply as there wasn’t one. Without apermanent base in the county, a returning Christian took refuge under his sister’s roof. Withina matter of days, creatively - and by his own admission unexpectedly - something began tostir. Setting up a makeshift studio in a vacant building in the middle of a field on his sibling’sproperty he began to write… and out came ‘Love Songs From Suburbia’.Emotion - it probably goes without saying - is baked into the album. Notable though, only bytheir complete absence, are tones of gloom, pessimism or reproach. And when you considerthe primary drivers behind ‘Love Songs’, that’s quite remarkable. In their place sit vibes ofwistfulness and quiet acceptance. Less ‘what’s happened’ and more ‘what’s to come’, allbound up in - that word again - “hope”.While the temptation might be there, don’t look at ‘Love Song’s track titles (twelve in total)anticipating a chapter-like overview of Christian’s inspirations. Poker-faced, from ‘Tigers’ or‘Honour’ at the frontend to ‘The Hands That Matter’ or ‘Everywhere’ at the back, there’s notone title that allows conclusions. It’s within the album’s verses and choruses that Christian’smeanings lie, some just below the surface, others core deep. As the mind translates them, ajourney takes place and ‘Love Songs’ figurations become clear.First listens to Christian’s second album will likely leave the impression that it’s musicalelements are there solely as a passive bit-part players. The feet move, the ears prick, butyour focus rarely traffics from Christian’s absorbing-to-mesmerizing songs, refrains andharmonies. A testament to their stunning tact though, over time those elements begin to popmore to the fore, and with them the realisation of just what kind of extraordinary balancing act‘Love Songs’ is pulling off.A wistful, blissful, sun-on-your-face-styled feel - ‘Café del Mar with beats’ perhaps - it carriesits tone innately first track through last. It’s an album with nothing to prove other thanart-of-lyric, authenticity of voice and depth-of-meaning always wins through.

• 1. Tigers
• 2. Any Love
• 3. Eyes Wide Open
• 4. Honour
• 5. The Magic
• 6. Truth
• 7. Friendly Fire
• 8. Alive
• 9. The Hands That Matter
• 10. Now or Never (With M.O.S.)
• 11. Breathing Fire
• 12. Everywhere