Lady Gaga digs deep
Hot on the heels of the fine new album by Montreal’s The Dears come the Madrid indie band originally called Deers, who were forced by the Canadians to change their name — Hinds are of course female deers. The two groups were hardly alike, with Hinds a gloriously ramshackle racket of spiky guitars and yelped vocals, and this third album smooths off some of the rough edges, adding samples and more keyboards, without losing the raw excitement. Opener and new single Good Bad Times exemplifies the change, introducing a more poppy, 80s sound that could soundtrack a John Hughes film while Boy finishes with an anthemic chorus of “all I want is my boy”. Hinds sing in Spanish as well as English this time as they burn through 10 songs in just 33 minutes, ending with This Moment Forever, a slow reflective track stretching out to almost four minutes. Amber Grimbergen, Ana Perrote, Carlotta Cosials and Ade Martin aren’t reinventing the wheel but the exuberant mix of earworm melodies and unapologetic indie attitude makes for joyous summer listening. (Review by Matthew George)
8/10
All Time Low took a left-turn on their last album, 2017’s Last Young Renegade.
The record’s abstract lyrics, atmospheric songs and sleek production suggested they were finally giving up on the pop-punkery that had served them so well since the early 2000s.
Last Young Renegade was no seismic shift. But it hinted that the Marylandformed quartet were willing to experiment.
It’s a surprise, then, that Wake Up,
Sunshine returns them to their two-decadeold template: bright, buzzing guitars, emo lyrics and three-minute songs.
Some long-standing fans may rub their hands with glee.
This is All Time Low at their tightest, and songs like Getaway Green and Glitter & Crimson capture the rollicking spirit of their live shows. Yet there’s no escaping the fact that listeners will find little new here.
As closing track Basement Noise comes to close, lead singer Alex Gaskarth and his band are left singing a capella: “Just stupid boys making basement noise in the basement.”
Many will continue to love them for this reason exactly. (Review by Alex Green)
5/10