Podcast: Interview with Lindsay Zoladz of The Ringer

November 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment

On our latest podcast, Kiel Hauck talks with Lindsay Zoladz, music and pop culture critic with The Ringer. During the conversation, Zoladz talks about the evolution she’s seen take place in music journalism during her time with The Ringer, Pitchfork and more, while also discussing the obstacles still facing women in the music industry. Zoladz also shares her thoughts on how the current political climate shaped pop music in 2018 and breaks down some of her favorite albums of the year. Listen in!

Subscribe to our podcast here.

Posted by Kiel Hauck

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Review: Hellogoodbye – S’only Natural

October 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Hellogoodbye has become an indie darling through a daring evolution of synth pop. Hellogoodbye mature each album cycle into something new. However, the risk is that sometimes these projects have mixed results. S’only Natural, the band’s newest album, is an infuriating record that I loved and hated in equal measure for the first two weeks after its release. However, after seeing Hellogoodbye live, I can finally appreciate the album in a way that otherwise may not have been possible.

Hellogoodbye played the Subterranean in Chicago two weeks after the release of S’only Natural. I have seen the group live twice before, and am familiar with the energy of their performances. However, this show lacked the stacked keyboards and intimacy of a ukulele. Instead, a glitzy golden sheet flowed across the stage with the words “Club Forrest” emblazoned on in in bright neon. Singer Forrest Kline strode across the stage in a lounge suit, dancing with a relaxed swagger. That’s the moment that S’only Natural finally clicked.

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Hellogoodbye

S’only Natural is a disco record. It is arguably the best instrumentation of Hellogoodbye’s career. The bass lines are extraordinarily melodic (“S’only Natural”). The guitars are restrained, but flesh out a full-bodied sound encouraging the listener to dance. The keyboards take their time and play a more integral, natural element to the music (“Let It Burn”). Additionally, the percussion is relaxed, but rich. While no song finds the frenetic pace of past records, the beats find a healthy balance between dance numbers and somber tones that perfectly match the bass (“Hang Loose”).

Trumpets, violin, and piano also take center stage at key points. Both “Overture” songs, which start and end the album, are primarily gorgeous violin ballads that sound straight out of the 1950’s.

One of the key things about S’only Natural is that it is a full, single piece. Many songs seem to bleed into the next, or end in such a way that it sets up the next perfectly. It keeps the album moving, but also can cause many songs to sound remarkably similar if you’re not paying attention. The music is amazing, but it lacks the variety of past records. It’s not until after the album is already done that you really see the crescendo of the first half and the soft ballads that swell to end the record (“Mysterious You”).

The most off-putting part of the album is singer Forrest Kline. For a singer who is so full of creativity, he takes zero chances with S’only Natural. Every song is sung in the same quiet pitch, with a backing track of himself almost whispering. Each song, I expected him to finally put a bit of effort into his voice, but instead maintains the same tone and quiet drawl. It’s maddening and beautiful at the same time. At times, it almost renders the lyrics useless.

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Hellogoodbye

After multiple listens over several weeks, I still had no opinion of this album. It was fun and boring, vibrant and bland at the same time. Which is why it seemed so odd to watch Forrest confidently strut in front of the mic stand. There was far more energy here than anything on the album. Opening the set with album closer “Honeymoon (Forever)”, Kline crooned over the soft taps of the snare and a keyboard, “I will come away with you / You look like you know what to do / Missing both your shoes, disheveled and amused / I’m in love with you”. Gliding over the gold blanket, the lounge jacket buttoned tight, the soft nature of his voice made absolute sense. Even during faster, poppier songs when the percussion and keyboards picked up volume to a staggering pitch, such as “Put It Out”, Kline simply crooned. “You were the autumn that bathed me in gold / And I’m a fool that thinks you were a flame I could hold”.

Almost the entire setlist of the live show was from S’only Natural, with only a few select favorites and fan requests from other albums peppered throughout. By night’s end, S’only Natural finally made sense to me. The instrumentation was the true star of this record. While the band’s music evolved over past records, Kline’s voice and lyrics always seemed to take center stage. This album is a jam. It wants you to dance. It wants anyone listening to be able to sing along with minimal effort. The confidence to play mostly new songs live plays straight into the album’s strength. And while past albums became poppier, S’only Natural looks back at the classic sounds and styles that influenced today’s music. The result is a romantic blend of current dance beats and crooner swing.

S’only Natural is an anomaly of an album. It’s soft, restrained and bursting with energy all at once. Though the lyrics are catchy, they’re a device to bring more attention to the music itself. This era of the band is just as progressive as it is classical. The mountainous bass lines eventually give way to gentle ballads that culminate in a rich album that forces listeners to discover the band’s music in a completely new way. S’only Natural isn’t an album for everyone, but it rewards anyone willing to put in the effort.

3.5/5

by Kyle Schultz

kyle_catKyle Schultz is the Senior Editor at It’s All Dead and has worked as a gaming journalist at Structure Gaming. He lives in Chicago and realized Forrest Kline was standing behind him watching the opening band. When Kyle introduced himself to Forrest, he said, “We’ve actually met before in Columbus. You grabbed my nipples [because I complimented Joseph Morro instead of you].” Forrest looked shocked, took a drink and then danced away into the crowd. He is literally the best people.

 

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Review: Twenty One Pilots – Trench

October 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Twenty One Pilots are one of the biggest bands on the planet. I’d say it’s been that way since they released Vessel in 2013, although maybe that’s because I found them during that album cycle. Either way, I’m unironically and unapologetically obsessed with them.

I was just as excited as everyone when I saw their social media go dark. A little sad, sure, because Blurryface was such a good album and really marked when the band gained the most acclaim. 2015 was a great year for Twenty One Pilots.

You can buy or stream Trench on Apple Music.

So, let’s get into Trench. As themed as everything had seemed leading up to the album’s release, there are only a couple of instances where the concept of Trench as a physical place and the bishops we saw in the “Jumpsuit” video are brought to life. To me, Trench seems to be the new incarnation of Blurryface from the last album.

Per the usual, the band continues to create new standards for how good an album’s production can and should be. I think that what makes Twenty One Pilots who they are isn’t the band as a concept. It’s the members. The band’s incarnation, in a sense, changes with each album. What is always consistent, though, is how Tyler and Josh treat the art they’ve created — with reverence and ingenuity. They’re obsessed with moving higher and higher up the creativity ladder and it’s paying off. My favorite example of this on Trench is “Pet Cheetah”.

There’s only one pitfall to this album for me: they built it up as having a continuous storyline and created a narrative that, when listening to the album as a whole, doesn’t really come out for me. It worked for the singles they released, but it does kind of jump around a little bit. To be fair, perhaps I just haven’t spent enough time with it — it isn’t even a week old — but it seems a little rollercoaster-y.

I’m not going to get into favorite tracks here because there are 14 total songs on the album and they’re all good in their own way. TOP has found a formula with how their albums are laid out and this one is no different. There are tracks that are significant changes of theme in their discography here, though. Somehow, they’ve become bolder — how they talk about mental illness in “Neon Gravestones” and how Tyler addresses faith in the final track “Leave the City”.

I do want to touch on “Legend”. Written for Joseph’s deceased grandfather, this song is intensely meaningful in a way the band has never touched on. We see vulnerability about mental health and other personal issues everywhere in music, but nothing could compare to how I felt when I heard the last couple of lines: “Then the day that it happened / I recorded this last bit  / I look forward to having / A lunch with you again”.

I’ve touched on the loss of my own grandmother in other contributions for the site but nothing really hit so close to home as this line when it comes to bringing back that feeling. I get it.

I’m sure they wouldn’t want to admit this, but fame has changed Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. They have a different attitude with this album cycle than the last. It’s not necessarily a negative change, but it’s still evident. They’re more protective over the thing they’ve created — and I think they have every right to do so.

By now I’m sure you’ve guessed that I really like Trench. It’s continuously original and interesting, and they’ve brought up new views to the topics they’ve proven to be passionate about in their past offerings. Trench is a masterpiece. They (again) topped an album that didn’t seem top-able. Take some time to digest this album; I think there’s a lot we can glean from it.

4.5/5

by Nadia Paiva

kiel_hauckNadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

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Jukebox the Ghost Jumpstart the Fun in Indianapolis

September 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment

In college, when I became president of a student organization, I needed to collect around 75 phone numbers. To make the process of adding contacts less monotonous, I asked each member to send me their name and their favorite song of the moment. I listened to every song that was sent to me and responded with my thoughts; I had a lot of really fun conversations about music and made some new friends. Right away, though, the members of this organization knew two things: I like music, and I like to talk about music (good things to know, in all honesty).

And that is how I discovered “Girl” by Jukebox the Ghost.

Jukebox the Ghost

I was so excited to see Jukebox live. Their recent performance at The Hi-Fi in Indianapolis was a scream-every-word, dance-along, feel-good show; overall, a show I would return to again and again. I love Jukebox for their old-meets-new pop sound. They use keyboard settings that sound exactly like a classic piano, which feels both nostalgic and fresh in a sea of electronic-only pop.

The beginning of “Jumpstarted” is a perfect example; the huge keyboard build of the first 30 seconds culminates in a dance-worthy beat and high-flying vocals. Ben Thornewill (vocals and piano), Tommy Siegel (vocals and guitar), and Jesse Kristin (drums and vocals) tag-teamed noteworthy performances of “Everybody’s Lonely”, “Postcard”, “Time and I”, and “Stay the Night”. I wouldn’t say JukeBox’s lyrics are particularly groundbreaking, but the songs are so catchy. In my opinion, that combination makes great pop music.

It was fun to see a band doesn’t take themselves too seriously. While Jukebox has a discography that could easily fill entire set, they opted to cover some really fun songs. From Electric Light Orchestra to Shania Twain, I was always on my toes and had a great time dancing along. I particularly loved when Jesse, the drummer, stepped out from behind the kit for a cover of “Havana” by Camila Cabello.

Jukebox’s humor and self-deprecation was also a highlight of the show. The keyboard was out of tune, causing the band to restart mid-song at one point. Ben forgot a few lyrics during the encore; he took an audience suggestion of “Victoria” instead. The band members took all of these bumps in stride. It was refreshing to see them laugh and banter during a show in a way that’s not robotic, a risk of some long-term tour shows that can come off a little scripted late in the run.

The Greeting Committee

I also have to give a huge shout out to the opener, The Greeting Committee. I saw them live in Cincinnati about a year ago, and I was absolutely blown away by how much they have improved as musicians. I really appreciate the bands that don’t rest on their laurels, continually working to bring a better sound and show to the audience. Brandon Yangmi’s riffs were spot on and Addie Sartino voice brings an almost grungy, rough-around-the-edges sound.

While it did not make this particular setlist, my favorite song by The Greeting Committee is “Someone Else”. Judging by their newest single, “Don’t Go”, I would definitely recommend keeping an eye out for their new album dropping at the end of this year.

by Katie Baird

kiel_hauckKatie Baird is a lover of music that firmly believes transitions between songs on playlists matter, albums are made to be listened to in order, and songs that don’t mention the title in the lyrics are just *better.” Her music obsession began with classic rock records and has evolved to include all genres, with a soft spot for alt pop. While she could talk about music all day, this is her first time writing about it.

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Review: Fall Out Boy – Lake Effect Kid

August 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment

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It’s a cliché at this point for bands to try to rediscover their roots or pay homage to their hometown. However, Fall Out Boy’s Lake Effect Kid EP is one of the few that feels genuine. Brief as it may be, these three songs not only form a love letter to Chicago, they offer a brief history of the band’s evolving sound. What could have easily been a quick gimmick is actually a near essential piece that quickly and unapologetically shows Fall Out Boy paying attention to their own legacy.

You can buy or stream Lake Effect Kid on Apple Music.

“Lake Effect Kid” is a B-Side that has made the rounds online for quite some time. Without a proper release or context, it could be easy to overlook. I have often enjoyed the song, but understood why it had been cut from Infinity On High or Folie à Deux. However, this new mix sounds more refined and complete. Additionally, when paired with “City in a Garden”, the song takes on more body, context, and heart.

“City in a Garden”, though it may be a Chicago-centric love fest, is arguably Fall Out Boy’s most accessible and singable single since “Thnks fr th Mmrs”. Oozing with nostalgia, hooks, and dreamlike drumbeats, “City in a Garden” is for Chicago what Jason Mraz and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are for California. While it sonically sounds like a ballad off an older release, the synth and beat are distinctly part of FOB’s new era. “City in a Garden” manages to encapsulate almost every aspect of Fall Out Boy that could make a person fall in love with the band.

Lake Effect Kid’s biggest strength is how reflective it is, while still pushing ahead for the band. “Lake Effect Kid” is the pop punk older fans have been craving for years. “City in a Garden” is the kind of pop song the band couldn’t have written even a couple of years ago without the experience they have now. Meanwhile, closing track “Super Fade” moves forward with experimentation in a place that won’t ruin the flow of a full album. Borrowing heavily from the divisive single, “Young and Menace”, “Super Fade” sounds like a slip-up of a song. However, this EP is the ideal place to work out the kinks of this style of songwriting.

Lake Effect Kid not only pays homage to Chicago as the band’s stomping grounds, it pays homage to their past work. The EP is an answer for anyone who has claimed that the band sold out their sound over the last few albums. Equally as exciting, it shows Fall Out Boy’s willingness to look back on themselves with the same reverence and enthusiasm they’ve shown when looking forward.

by Kyle Schultz

kyle_catKyle Schultz is the Senior Editor at It’s All Dead and has worked as a gaming journalist at Structure Gaming. He lives in Chicago and makes a gosh darn good apple pie.

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Emily Blue Releases New EP “*69”

August 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment

When Emily Blue opens the track “Cellophane” with the line, “Don’t you wish everything was still like it was back then?” it could easily be interpreted as the voice of her detractors, both musical and ideological.

Blue’s latest EP, *69, dropped last Friday and is another evolution of her art, leaving behind her more subtle offerings for loud, sensual, danceable pop aimed at smashing the patriarchy. It is at once fun and socially conscious.

Opener “Microscope” is much more layered and spastic than her previous releases, analyzing sexual autonomy, as Blue sings, “And you know how it goes, the lights go up / And suddenly you’re under the microscope and everyone wants to see”. Later, on the bass-heavy “Dum Blonde”, as if to hammer home *69’s most important refrain, she repeatedly exclaims, “You’ve got to know your power”.

“Falling in Love” is an alt throwback number blended with modern indie pop while “Waterfallz” shows off Blue’s vocal abilities with a soaring chorus. Across the EP’s five tracks, Emily Blue expands her sonic capabilities while building on her commanding themes of female empowerment and self-discovery.

Delightfully entertaining and a vitally important listen, *69 is the perfect end-of-summer EP. You can stream *69 on Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.

by Kiel Hauck

kiel_hauckKiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.

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Summer Soundtracks: Lydia – Illuminate

July 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment

A lot of things can define a summer soundtrack. These are the albums that have been there through thick and thin, remind you of the best days of your life, and always get the party going. Think block parties, beach trips, and the smell of sunscreen. Per the usual, I don’t use these criteria to define my summer. The only one that applies here is that this is an older album. Lydia’s album Illuminate has been there for me for a long time. It turned 10 years old in March, but it’s not a dated album by any stretch.

You can buy or stream Illuminate on Apple Music.

The album isn’t what you think of when you think of a typical summer album, but it’s light, airy, and consistent. At 11 tracks, it’s almost an hour long and follows a storyline. Lydia is known for their theatrical musings, but that’s something the band has moved away from in their past couple of albums.

The reason I love this album and keep coming back to it is it’s lack of intensity. It’s easygoing and sad, but the music is so beautiful that you can’t stay away from it. I just remember where I was when I first heard “I Woke Up Near the Sea” (a Spotify curated playlist from forever ago) and it was in the summer. Nothing was wrong and everything was easy. I had finally been getting into my own music and building my repertoire and Lydia has been a constant member of my group of staple artists.

Evident in a lot of the points I bring up in my writing is the ocean. I love watery, oceanic metaphors and this album is full of them. Even the album art is a girl standing by the sea in the wind. There are a lot of references to drowning and being in over your head and I think these are the carotid arteries of both adolescence and young adulthood.

I didn’t realize it when I was 17 listening to this album for the first time, but adulthood is not easy. It isn’t just growing up and grocery shopping and driving. It’s so much more complicated than that. It’s going to the same job year after year and missing hours of sunlight. It’s watching bills pile up. It’s going to funerals for people who have died too soon. But it’s also going to weddings and first birthday parties. This album, despite its melancholy themes, still manages to find the balance. It’s gentle with your feelings.

I think that’s why I love it. The best albums run the emotional gamut. This album does lean more toward the sadder side of things, but sometimes that’s okay. There are lines like “We never stay lonely” (“Fate”), and “San Francisco sounds quite lovely / So I’ll just wait for your call” (“Stay Awake”). There are twinges of the positive to be found. The band clings to these moments.

The last song on this album is my favorite. Musically it’s intricate and there’s always something new to find. The best artists pay attention to the smallest details. The instruments aren’t just accompaniment in this album; there’s always a new set of sounds to explore. But this song hits the hardest because it ties everything together: “Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving”. It ends with a Wurlitzer piano, and Mindy White brings the album to a lull as it fades out. There’s no loop, it just restarts the experience over again after the sound of a door slam. It ends cathartically. It’s not how you wanted it to end, it’s not how you planned, but there it is in front of you. Just like real life.

So I know this isn’t the typical summer choice. It’s not high energy or played on every radio station a million times; it’s not very fun. It’s quiet and insightful. It has its highs and lows. The reason I love it for the summer is because it makes me nostalgic for simpler times, and that’s what summer is all about.

by Nadia Paiva

kiel_hauckNadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

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Summer Soundtracks: Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American

July 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment

For me, summer will always be about adventure, long drives, and great stories. That’s why the first album I could ever count on this list is Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American. Blistering pop songs swirling around themes of adventure and romance make it hard not to associate the album with the spirit of summer nights. Also, I absolutely ruined a road trip with this album in high school.

You can buy or stream Bleed American on Apple Music.

Shortly after this album’s release, my friend Max took a few friends on a road trip to an amusement and water park in southern Indiana. With his mom driving, we shuffled through a pile of CD’s, pulling out Bleed American somewhere near the start of the journey. I don’t remember if this was my first time hearing the album or not, but I know this is where I fell in love with it. Three of us sang along with every song for two back-to-back listens while Max’s mom drove on with a quiet smile.

At one point, Max changed discs to listen to something else, but the instant it ended, our friend Jim and I demanded Bleed American again from the backseat. Then again. And again.

Over the course of multiple replays, Jim and I obnoxiously sang along in the backseat with sugar-infused confidence and loudly protested every time someone tried to change albums. After several hours, his mom white-knuckled the steering wheel in rage. Max glared at us from the reflection of the rear view mirror. He passive aggressively sighed, “Jesus Christ,” between songs. The pile of other CD’s had been sneakily hidden from view or reach from the front seats, leaving only Bleed American to light the way like an angsty Rudolph.

Jim asked for someone to replay “A Praise Chorus” again for the third time in a row, which is the moment Max’s mom snapped.

“No! Anything else. Just for a while, please play anything else,” she protested.

“Please,” begged Max.

“Okay,” said Jim, “Can we listen to ‘The Middle’ then?”

Max took the CD out of the stereo and threw it in the glove compartment, a move he should have made hours earlier and looked out the window in seething anger until the pile of other albums was returned. This process repeated itself on the journey home, testing the boundaries of friendship and human decency for all involved.

Jimmy Eat World represents a core summer album for me. Bleed American finds a rich balance between crunching rock anthems and emotional ballads that mimics the hot days and cool nights. It was released in an age when I was just discovering my taste in music, and may be the first band I fell in love with that wasn’t exclusively Drive-Thru Records style pop punk madness.

Many of the band’s biggest hits came from this album and aren’t especially summer themed, but there is an added sense of magic associated with them in the right atmosphere. Jimmy Eat World’s music has mellowed over the years, but Bleed American will always burn with the energy of an era when we were just beginning to explore the world at large.

by Kyle Schultz

kyle_catKyle Schultz is the Senior Editor at It’s All Dead and has worked as a gaming journalist at Structure Gaming. He lives in Chicago and just realized he is absolutely out of food because it rained yesterday and the grocery is far away. He is a good adult.

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A Night with Paramore on the After Laughter Tour

June 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment

I have a concert bucket list. This may not be a surprise to anyone, but it’s true. Bands like Turnover, Pianos Become the Teeth and Switchfoot all made the cut and have been successfully crossed off. The band at number one? Paramore.

I’ve been unsuccessful in catching a Paramore show ever since I can remember, but I finally made it. I have now seen virtually every band I’ve ever wanted to see except for bands that are no longer active (My Chemical Romance *sigh*) and the new bands I find and become obsessed with (Off Road Minivan). I’m hoping to catch a Death Cab show later this year.

I don’t really know why I had never made it to a Paramore show. They’ve played Boston plenty of times since I’ve gotten into them but I’ve just always missed it. Usually it’s because of other shows or, if I’m being honest, because ticket prices are sky high. Well, June 20th rolled around and my schedule was free and tickets were approximately $35 (which, when Paramore is involved, is basically free). So I drove two-and-a-half hours to Gilford, New Hampshire, with lawn tickets in hand, prepared to have the best night of my life.

Soccer Mommy and Foster the People were the opening bands, but as stated above, the long drive caused me to miss Soccer Mommy and most of Foster The People’s sets. I got my ticket scanned to the sultry bass tones of “Pumped Up Kicks”. While we were waiting for Paramore to start playing, we heard through the pavilion grapevine that they were upgrading tickets for free. Instead of our lawn tickets, we ended up finding seats closer to the stage to watch Hayley and Co.’s set.

Paramore was incredible. Their concert experience is legendary, akin to fellow Fueled By Ramen acts Twenty One Pilots and Panic! at The Disco. Don’t know what that label is doing, but whatever it is, it’s right. Paramore opened with “Grudges” from their latest full length, After Laughter. It set the tone wonderfully and it was almost tear-jerking to hear Zac Farro, prodigal drummer returned home, sing the background vocal, “Why did we wait so long?” to Hayley’s reply of “To stop holding on”.

The setlist was a really great range of old and new tracks. Noticeably missing, per the usual post-2015, were any tracks from their first album All We Know Is Falling. A highlight was a re-imagined version of “crushcrushcrush”. I actually texted Kiel while they were playing it, saying they’d “After Laughter-ed” it. It had less of the punk sound and they added some 80s synths, which brought a cool new feel to what must be, at this point, an overdone track for the band to perform.

The acoustic portion housed another great set of choices. They played their BBC One cover of Drake’s “Passionfruit”, then “Misguided Ghosts” from 2009’s Brand New Eyes, and finished with “26” from the new album. It was, in a word, poignant. A lot of After Laughter’s songs are full of heavy content, and even though they disguised that aspect with energetic music, it was hard to ignore the evident pain Hayley feels when singing “Forgiveness”.

Another interesting choice was the addition of “No Friend”. This was a spoken word track on After Laughter performed by Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou. Paramore used it as both a jam session and a water break and it was basically epic.

There were several traditions that were kept. One was Zac’s performance of one of his side project songs, which is definitely worth checking out. The other was the choosing of audience members to finish “Misery Business”. These were things I’d only heard about and they were just as wonderful in real time. The band had a three song encore and ended with the lead single from After Laughter, “Hard Times”.

In short, it was the best night of my life. Completely worth the wait, but I left wondering why I hadn’t just gone for it sooner. I can’t wait until they come around again.

by Nadia Paiva

kiel_hauckNadia Paiva has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

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The Weeknd Sets New Streaming Record with “My Dear Melancholy,”

April 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Amidst all of the release buzz over the past few weeks, we’d be remiss not to mention The Weeknd’s surprise EP My Dear Melancholy,. Arriving on streaming services on March 30, the release has scored the largest EP streaming debut of all time and provides The Weeknd with his third consecutive No. 1 Album on the Billboard 200 chart.

My Dear Melancholy, strips away the celebratory pop vibe of 2016’s Starboy and returns to the darker vibes found on Beauty Behind the Madness. Melancholy is a cohesive set of six tracks, intertwined with pain and self-loathing that feels familiar. Whether it’s ground you want to retread with the bleary-eyed singer is of personal preference. For me, it’s a welcome return to form – especially in moments like the sultry, crooning chorus of lead single “Call Out My Name”.

Next up for The Weeknd is Coachella 2018 – and with any luck, another tour and potentially a full album will follow. In the meantime, the new EP will be available for purchase on April 13.

What’s your favorite track on My Dear Melancholy,? Let us know in the replies!

Posted by Kiel Hauck

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