The music is ambitious and boundless, and & I’m Fine Today is SUSTO’s best crack at it yet. You can see the growth in album art alone: while their 2014 self-titled debut’s album art took a crack at Nirvana’s Nevermind, & I’m Fine Today embodies the psychedelic style of the 60s with album art that begs to be owned on vinyl.

& I’m Fine Today is a collection of fine songs, but it’s also a collection of fine stories. Many songs on the record stand out for their songwriting finesse, but almost every one is memorable because of the story they tell. “Gay in the South” tells an obvious story, but it’s one that encapsulates the record: one where Jesus isn’t the centre of somebody’s being, but rather somebody that haunts them.

“They promised us: ’You are going straight to tell when you die.’ I don’t even think it’s a real place,” Osborne sings on “Gay in the South”. On “Waves”, he asks: “Is there anybody in there, smoking weed with God?” On & I’m Fine Today, the questions Osborne asks aren’t strictly personal anymore. Now, SUSTO is asking the questions of their generation about the reality of a higher power — and whether or not that higher power is a benevolent force if its believers are not.

On the other hand, if philosophical questions about God isn’t your style, this is an album with a song called “Cosmic Cowboy” on it. So despite the life questions, there’s still space for some fun and games.

If the album has any central messaging, it’s earliest mention is in “Waves”. “The sun comes up, the sun goes down, and that’s what it’s all about,” Osborne sings in the chorus. And on “Jah Werx”, the final track, the band sings “Jah werx, and I’m fine today” throughout the chorus. When the lyrics come together, & I’m Fine Today is about God, nature, the rising and falling tides of waves as the sun rises and sets, and the way everything returns to dust when it’s over no matter what you believe.

Musically, & I’m Fine Today is a wonder. From the far-out style of “Far Out Feeling” (no pun intended) to the layered production of “Wasted Mind”, the songwriting and engineering are impeccable. But even more impressive is the storytelling of the record. & I’m Fine Today is a captivating, exhilarating record, and an astounding sophomore attempt from SUSTO that catapults them to the top of the league.

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The fact that it relies heavily on a banjo is almost a side note.

Union Duke is a folk rock band from Toronto that sounds like they hail from the Deep South. On almost every track, there’s an inevitable comparison to Mumford & Sons — because they both have the same crossover appeal. But Union Duke remind me more of a more ballsy Avett Brothers.

Not unlike the Brothers, Union Duke has a deep understanding of bluegrass, country, guitar rock, and pop song structures. Even on slower tracks that don’t have the same level of forward motion, like “Baby Don’t Break”, the band sounds authentically country and rock all at once.

There are tracks that are more country than rock, like “Coffee/Whisky”. But they’re balanced out by rock ballads like “Golden Days (I’ve Been Down)” (which you should really watch this incredible live performance of) or “A Brief Romance” that, were it not for the banjo, wouldn’t feel out of place on a Tom Petty-produced Foo Fighters record.

If any track can be called out for sounding like a Mumford track, it’s “Fare You Well”, which appropriated even that band’s stylings. That’s not a complaint: because of their authenticity, Union Duke is better at the style than Mumford & Sons at that sort of music to begin with.

On Golden Days, Union Duke avoids the sophomore album by continuing to write great, inventive tracks. They fill the whole that the Avett Brothers and Mumford stopped filling when they became commercial. And when the album is over, there’s a sense of disappointment that there isn’t more to hear. That alone is proof of Union Duke’s success.

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Yet The Cadillac Three are one of the only country bands flirting with rock that don’t come off as sell-out losers. The band is never less than completely authentic — it’s hard not to like them.

Part of that is because the band continues country’s time-honoured tradition of being America’s most fun party music. There aren’t many of the genre’s mopey songs on Bury Me in My Boots; instead, the band focuses on party tracks like “Hot Damn” and purposefully corny lyrical accompaniments like “You put the ‘hot’ in ‘hot damn.’”

At their best, the band is able to capture elements of rock and country at the same time. On “Soundtrack to a Six Pack”, the band captures the twangy timbre of country with the musical techniques of rock groups — complete with big riffs and power chords. It’s incredibly effective.

The band also has an incredible track pacing throughout the record that balances the country-flavoured tracks and the rock tracks quite well. “White Lightning” balances “Soundtrack to a Six Pack” well, reminding more traditional-favouring country listeners that The Cadillac Three aren’t forgetting about them. It’s a tricky balance, and the band nails it.

The tracks that are the most fun are perfect for summer: “Ship Faced” is the perfect party (or hangover) song. “Party Like You” is the perfect starter for a night at the country bar. The afore-mentioned “Slide”, “Peace Love & Dixie”, and “Hot Damn” are party monsters. There haven’t been rock tracks this good all summer.

A lot of Southern rockers can do good party songs — Kid Rock does great party songs despite making terrible music — but The Cadillac Three are the real deal. These guys have exactly the right attitude, the right swagger, the right verve. There’s nothing about them that feels out of place or fake. The nicest thing about Bury Me in My Boots that anybody could say is that it’s approachable, real country rock that’s perfect for a wide audience on a Friday night. The genre doesn’t get better than that.

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The opening track kicks off with a heavy, meaty riff that’s purer gold. At some points, the band sounds like rock-influenced country music of decades past. Don’t reminds me of country rock as much as it reminds me of The Roxettes, complete with a nasty guitar riff in the verse that’s just as heavy as anything Mötley Crüe ever put out.

That style, going back and forth between 80s rock and country twang, is something the sisters seem very comfortable with. The album’s strongest track, When God Closes a Door, perfectly captures the sound of a Wild West bar fight. It’s partially the guitar parts, but it’s also Rebecca Lovell’s brilliant vocal work: she doesn’t sing the obvious melodies, but she notes she hits feel perfect in hindsight. Her singing gives the songs a sense of atmosphere they wouldn’t have previously.

Trouble in Mind is clearly influenced by the Black Keys, with a riff and vocal line that feels like it was lifted from Brothers.

The album’s pacing, which is decidedly front heavy, can prove to be problematic when the Americana tracks from Kin, the band’s previous output, get tagged on to the end. Tracks like Stubborn Love and Jailbreak feel much less energetic than the rockier outings on Reskinned, and instead of looking for a new tracking that would make the new material part of a bigger whole, the label’s taken the easy way out.

Perhaps the new material would have made a better EP. But it begs the questions: is this the last time we’ll get to so clearly contrast two sides of Larkin Poe? What direction are the Lovell sisters taking the band next? If nothing else, Reskinned gets us excited to hear more from Larkin Poe soon.

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