All Summer Long was also the title of a Beach Boys album. Although
Ashley Stove doesn't sound much like
the Beach Boys, there is a similarity in that both records were, in the context of their time, pretty innocuous. Yes,
Ashley Stove's mid-Southern punk-pop is a more glib, verbose, and ironic than the 1964 Beach Boys were, though far less innovative. Their upbeat, guitar-dominated sounds are a bit fuzzy and rough, but not too dangerous or threatening. The pop element comes through in the frequent harmonized lead vocals, as well as the occasional shades of melancholy in the melody, though these don't get anything close to bummed out. You can hear a little bit of country music from time to time, and the best song, "If You're Going Away," has something of a Brazilian pop feel to its tempo and female backup vocal. On the whole, though, it's unexceptional guitar indie pop with a slightly blunt edge, usually but not always sticking to the themes of ebbs and flows in personal relationships. ~ Richie Unterberger