REVIEW : Arthur Buck 2 - MXDWN MUSIC

by Kaleigh Perez October 17th, 2025 - 2:20 PM

Concise and clean but just ok.

Arthur Buck 2 is the second album released by the musical duo Arthur Buck, composed of the R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur. On their second album together, Buck and Arthur attempt to create an indie rock vibe with gravely vocals and distant guitar lines laced with subtle synthesizers.

The album kicks off with “Everywhere,” containing gravely vocals and an organ, which adds an extra layer of intrigue. The track itself is not musically complex, but the lyrics are well-written. The vocals of “Fall In Love With Me” are done with an electronic effect, which makes them a bit hard to listen to. The bass is prominent but simple, and the rest of the track is simple and clean. “Average Ghost” sounds far away at first, but then the sound becomes clearer. With that said, the vocals are hard to hear and the track as a whole sounds muddy. The tempo of this one drags and then speeds up, which does throw off the rhythm, making this one also a bit difficult to listen to. “Sleep With One Eye Open” brings the organ back. This track’s backing vocals are a lot fuller compared to the other tracks, making it sound more cohesive. Unfortunately, “Don’t Try To Understand It” sounds dull and has a thudding tempo. The bass is very prominent, which makes it hard to hear the vocals, and the track itself is a tad boring as nothing interesting is happening sound-wise. “Muscle Shoals” sounds a tad country with its acoustic guitar, which is a nice addition to a more electronic album. While the electronic component is interesting, it is a little all over the place, making the track messy. “Love At First Sight” sounds like it is playing in a faraway room which could be nice, but it makes the lyrics hard to hear at times. “Pow” sounds just like the previous track except the lyrics are catchy, and the guitar is prominent and clean. “Where Did You Go?” has a catchy guitar riff that makes a nice foundation for the vocals. The track does stay reserved, as if it could have accomplished more, but doesn’t. “No Answer” also sounds like it is being played in a faraway room. The vocals are distorted, which helps Arthur’s voice sound a bit less wobbly, but the track is rather bland. “Not So Modern Now” closes the album. This track is cleaner than the rest, and the ending has a nice, steady jam which would have been nice to see incorporated more throughout the whole album.

Arthur Buck 2 is a standard rock album from Arthur Buck. It is clean and concise to an extent, but lacks a wow factor. If Arthur Buck leaned into the sound of the ending track, the album could have been a more pleasant listen but the duo stayed reserved, making the album just alright.

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