Santa Claws refine their sound on sophomore album 'Sands of Time'

On their second studio album 'Sands of Time', Santa Claws sound like a band settling into a clearer version of themselves. The Brittany-based five-piece have spent the better part of a decade evolving through line-up changes, interrupted momentum and periods of rebuilding, and their latest material reflects that history without making it the entire story.

Self-produced at the band’s own studio in La Chapelle-Neuve, mixed in-house and mastered to analogue tape by Christophe Chavanon at Studio Kerwax, 'Sands of Time 'draws heavily from the language of 90s alternative rock and classic British guitar music.

There's melodic clarity reminiscent of The Beatles, a broader atmospheric ambition that points towards Radiohead, and a more direct guitar-driven energy that recalls Oasis, Supergrass and The Breeders. But the album is at its strongest when those influences are absorbed rather than pushed to the front.

The addition of Stéphane Kérihuel gives the band a three-guitar line-up, allowing the arrangements to feel fuller without becoming cluttered. That expanded setup suits Santa Claws' preference for warm, organic production and live-band dynamics.

The analogue mastering is also a sensible choice. Instead of becoming a nostalgic gesture in itself, it supports the record's emphasis on warmth and physicality, complementing music that's clearly intended to retain some of the roughness and interaction of a band playing together.

'Sands of Time' doesn't reinvent the vocabulary of modern alt-rock. Instead, Santa Claws focus on making that aesthetic feel natural to them.

After a long period of development, the result is an album that feels more assured, more cohesive and more representative of the band they have become.