Pangs of sweet regret, everybody got ’em
But pangs do not a true assessment make…

These words from “Days Fly Away,” one of 12 new Bill Deasy compositions on the first Gathering Field record in a dozen years, reflect the band’s “don’t look back” attitude.

“I think we all feel this is an opportunity to hear what we sound like right now, not how we sounded way back when,” lead guitarist Dave Brown observes. “This is very much about the present moment.”

One listen to the band’s new release, “Wild Journey,” and the truth of Dave’s statement becomes evident. Yes, there is something familiar there, the indefinable chemistry that hooked a legion of fans the first time around, but there is a new-found depth, a spark of wisdom, a heightened awareness. The result is a sound that is as it was, only more so, and then some.