Everything Is Debatable
Old Friends Records
Hellogoodbye’s latest album feels like it rode in on a Californian breeze. It’s been a few years since the band released an album and as fresh as this one is, it also feels like the soundtrack to The O.C. or The Killers circa 2006.
This is definitely not a bad thing. Fans of Hellogoodbye’s debut Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! will remember they were labelled emo-pop and had a penchant for vocoder and autotune. A lawsuit and line-up shuffle a few years later saw frontman, Forrest Kline, shake things up and shove the electronica (mostly) aside, producing the organic album, Would It Kill You? Their third studio album sort of tows the line between both and personally it’s preferable over the other two. It still has the pacey riffs and electronic depths (and quirks), but it feels little more mature both sonically and lyrically. This is most evident in Just Don’t Let Go Just Don’t, which strikes a fine balance of strong vocals with a smattering of layered effects.
Each of the tracks has a wonderful giddy feeling which begins the second the CD starts playing …And Everything Is A Blur which welcomes you into the 11 track bubble with a glittery synth and echoey group vocals. It’s reminiscent of Passion Pit.
The CD booklet’s pop art style photomontages and typeset lyrics are exemplar of an album that has been carefully produced with an ideal listener in mind. In all, this puts Hellogoodbye at the top of their game.
CORAL HUCKSTEP
