New Music Reviews: Mod Lang and Sun-El Musician

Two very different albums this week – the succinct, retro power-pop of Mod Lang, and the sprawling, forward-looking house of Sun-El Musician. I like both artists, but both albums are a little flawed. Read on for details!

Mod Lang

Borrowed Time

2026, 7/10
It’s obvious where this band’s loyalties lie – a band named Mod Lang, with a track that opens with the line “when my baby’s beside me”, are clearly Big Star disciples. For 2026, Mod Lang are refreshingly rough-hewn – the vocals are raw and urgent. Like Big Star, they’re recreating the Byrds and Beatles of the mid-1960s, but the urgent vocals also recall garage rock like Them.

And we like the Nilsson records and Ram by Paul McCartney and all these really human-sounding records. It doesn’t matter how you produce the records, at the end of the day you’re putting mics in front of a source. And the source is us, so it sounds like us.
Beej, Mod Lang drummer/producer, See-Saw

Even though they have rough edges, Mod Lang are best at pop-oriented songs. ‘Cocamoda’ is hooky and memorable with its refrain “she’s going to move some place where she’s never going to see the sun”. About a lover being put in jail, it’s like the inverse of The Zombies ‘Care of Cell 44’.

The driving ‘TV Star’ recalls the Chris Bell and Alex Chilton harmonies of #1 Record.

Hopefully, Mod Lang’s songwriting grows to match their vibe and sound.

Sun-El Musician

Under the Sun

2026, 7/10
South African house artist Sun-EL Musician released a deluge of music between 2018 and 2021. He released three studio albums (including the four-hour (!) To The World & Beyond), and produced two albums for Simmy. He helped pioneer the amapiano sound, mellow house music with prominent piano.

Back after almost five years away, Under The Sun feels more mainstream than before. Guests feature on every track, often with multiple guest vocalists sharing the microphone. It dampens Sun-EL’s auteur instincts, but these vocalists aren’t household names – I’ve never heard of Mnqobi Yazo, but he delivers a terrific performance on the opening ‘Ilembe’.

Under the Sun is smooth and enjoyable, but it’s also long and samey, running an hour and a half. But it sometimes hits hard, like on ‘I’ll Be There (For You)’, which is simple and affecting.

Under The Sun is overlong, but it’s smooth and pleasant.