To say an album "returns to form" seems to allude to something being off or missing or in a deformed state in previous releases. With the new album from Advance Base (aka Owen Ashworth), Nephew In The Wild, it is more of a beautiful blending of two "forms". This album could have easily been the first Casiotone for the Painfully Alone album since 2009’s Vs. Children. This is a clear return to the sound and storytelling of the Casiotone persona.
The album’s open track and lead single "Trisha Please Come Home" in the perfect example. Ashworth spins tales of the everyday but tinges of sadness. His stories are sweet and sad, and always fully realized. Musically, the album is filled with familiar sounds from an array of instruments; Electric pianos, drum kits, drum machines, autoharps, Omnichords, Optigans, Mellotrons. All of this, blending with Ashworth’s skill, create a perfect late summer and early fall soundtrack.