Dan Mangan is a heck of a talented guy. His poignant few frills approach to songwriting is refreshing and the songs he produces sit so comfortably. They are easy to sing along to and have a habit of winding their way into the consciousness and staying there. This feeling continues on his sophomore release, Nice, Nice, Very Nice and doesn’t stop until long after the music is over. There is something so very real about the way he spins his observational tales through use of his signature graveled voice, simple wordplay and unpretentious song structure. Take for example the ridiculously catchy foot tapper and album opener, “Road Regrets,” a song about being on the road for long stretches and finding peace and humour in it. “Robots,” easily the best song on the album, is a fun little tale of a five day stint spent without cell phone service.

Accompanying the lyrics for each song is a sentence or two that acts as an explanation or meditation—a nice little bonus to visualize as you lose yourself in the thickness of his voice and pretty guitar chords. With some of his strongest work to date and an already large fan-base, Nice, Nice, Very Nice could very well be the album that solidifies Mangan as the standout artist he is.