Australian roots rock outfit The Waifs have had their share of in-house rivalries (between sisters Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn) but their seventh studio album (and their first since 2011) sees them plotting a confident course through a dozen newly composed songs.

The mix of voices (including third founding member, Josh Cunningham) lends texture and breadth to this collection, and lyrically they’re clearly not afraid to address the jagged-edged realities of human relationships.

Still, at times it's as if those edges have been buffed and polished a little too much at the mixing desk, so that occasional echoes of Lucinda Williams-like rawness morph into Nashville-tinted easy listening. The Waifs are at their best when they turn the amps up, as they do on Blindly Believing and February. Ripping it up becomes them. thewaifs.com