Okay let me start this off by saying this might be one of the best albums ever made. Perfectly crafted with perfect execution. I cannot believe I missed this when it came out, but it further adds to my “2012-2017 was an iconic time in music history” claim. Whenever I listen to bands led by women Cults and Blondie are now my two sources of comparison. If you can’t give me the same feeling that they do, throw the whole band away. When you listen to this album you’ll hear what I’m talking about. This album starts off with I Know which is a great opener. Madeline singing her ass off over these driving synths, an infectious piano loop and echoed guitar chords is like a recipe for perfection. THEN, I Can Hardly Make You Mine comes in next and sweeps your leg and stomps on your chest while you’re on the ground. That guitar and those drums make my face scrunch up every time I play this track, I never get tired of it. Madeline’s range shines on this track, it sees her going from singing low to almost belting and it’s incredible. Doesn’t stop there either. The third track on this album, Always Forever, is probably one of the best songs ever made. It makes me want to fall in love and just be with that person forever and not worry about anything else. Damn, music is amazing. I think it hits extra hard because we’ve all been there before. We all have that one love that you can’t ever forget and this song represents how it feels to be in that situation so perfectly. Okay, now the only low note (to me) is the first sixteen seconds of High Road. It sounds so out of place, maybe because it’s just a bassline and drums. It sounds like the background music at a T.G.I Friday’s or some other America-themed restaurant. The rest of the song is great though. So Far has so many elements that contribute to the overall feeling. Those strings, synths, those booming-ass-drums, the vocals and a that fucking tambourine!! Starting off with twenty-two seconds of Brian absolutely losing his mind on that guitar, then BOOM everything else comes in makes me turn into mush. It’s hard to not yell, “and I wonder how you sleep at night, you know that it’s not just alright,” Ugh, I’m fanning out. Keep Your Head Up is such a beautiful song. Maybe adding tambourine to a song is a cheat code, because every song where it’s prominent is a fucking hit. Plus, oh my fucking god, those DRUMS??!?!? Good lord, when they come in during the hook I moan. Every single time. They don’t let up after that either, Brian is just hammering away on them while Madeline is signing her heart about how you can miss her with that “love” shit. TV Dream is fire because it comes out of left-field. Up until this point all the songs have been this beautiful mix of multiple instruments, but on this track it’s just Madeline singing over synths and what I want to say is a flute? I’m not that knowledgeable on instruments, but it’s beautiful still. We’ve Got It is the ultimate “I’m over you” song. Over these super hypnotic drums and super groovy bassline Madeline assures whoever she’s talking about that she won’t be crying over them anymore, there’s no more love for them. To end it off with No Hope is such a contrast from the confidence we heard two tracks ago, but that’s the natural progression of the relationship Madeline is referencing. This track deals with the aftermath, when you realize there’s no salvaging the happiness you once felt with this person. It gives the same feeling Nervous by The Drums. This person is still with you, but the fire has waned and is almost out and you don’t have any gas to put into it so there’s literally no hope to save it. The instrumentation is surprisingly upbeat for this depressing ass topic which is a stark contrast, but I love it.

This album is beautiful. I’ve said that a lot because it’s the truth. I wouldn’t write almost 700 words about some bullshit.

Listen to Static

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