Rock stars are famous for epic life styles and devastating personal losses, such as divorce and family separation. Despite mixing Byrds-esque moments and radio-friendly pop hooks into its otherwise hillbilly-folk demeanor, Truckstop Honeymoon’s Mike and Katie West are no rock stars, which explain why the music biz has worked for them for so long.

The counter-culture couple keeps their family life intact by taking everyone on globetrotting tours, which isn’t always easy. But making it work and staying together is a large part of what this is about, crashing on stranger’s floors, devouring refrigerators and the reality of returning home after staying in cheap motel rooms that are better suited for fugitives, like on the melodramatic “Home Is Not a Hotel.”

There are moments of insanity like the breakdown at a National Park where everyone must have had a bad day, but in the end, the West’s find humor in their lives and share it openly through airtight originals. Humor abounds, but sometimes it’s subtle and quick.

Laughs aside, creative songwriting is everywhere. “Watching the Weather” juxtaposes verses where the protagonist contemplates evacuating—set to a Latin beat, a jazz-tinged acoustic bass and a Spanish guitar—with a whimsical, jangly rock chorus. On “Don’t Put Words in My Mouth,” Katie insists on writing her song, fending off Mike’s imaginative input but wants him to add to the silly oo-eee background vocals on the chorus—a statement of independence that’s somewhat co-dependent. Yet, when it’s time for a poignant, sensitive song, Truckstop Honeymoon delivers some dandies.

The title song ties it conceptually together; “The City That You Loved” expresses love for its former city while “Lego Airplane” sees the world from the eyes of a rambunctious child that switches briefly to the reflections of his father.