The Milk Carton Kids — The Only Ones review: A hesitation before the next step

The Milk Carton Kids are at a crossroads. On their last album, the Grammy-nominated duo bolstered their long-trusted pairing of interlocking acoustic guitars and blissful vocal harmonies by enlisting a full band for the first time.

Where next, then? This seven-track release gives little indication.

All those embellishments have disappeared, making this a return to the band’s austere roots. It’s not necessarily a bad thing — Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan’s sumptuous tones are left unimpeded, meaning the delicate intimacy of their voices is as vivid as it deserves to be.

Instrumentally, though, the results are mixed. There are three short songs clocking in around two-and-a-half minutes, and none of them are allowed time to explore. They end up coming across as half-coloured sketches.

Much better are the longer efforts in which the music begins to unravel ever so slightly.

Towards the end of My Name is Ana, the lead guitar is jarring, and the visceral swells of sound on I Was Alive feel like the most emotionally authentic moments of all.

The Only Ones feels very much like an EP — a hesitation before taking that next step. But there’s enough here to make any future venture by this band an intriguing one.