Half-Year in Review #2: Beach Bunny - Honeymoon
“For all the despondency and heartache Beach Bunny manage to portray in their debut album’s slim runtime, its buoyant instrumentals and enthralling lyricism trick the listener into enjoying themselves far too much for a record written with this much angst. The indie pop quartet may still be dipping their toes into the realm of full-length projects, yet already it is all too clear that their work has mastered the art of not overstaying its welcome while simultaneously leaving the listener in desperate need of more.”
Album Review: The Strokes - The New Abnormal
‘Memorable’ is perhaps an oddly fitting descriptor of The Strokes’ music, an unlikely heritage that The New Abnormal is surprisingly adept at employing in its best moments. Even among a field comprising some of the most talented rock bands of their generation, the group was able to carve out a legacy for themselves that endures to this day, largely through the sheer volume of unforgettable hooks and genre-defining melodies strewn about Is This It. That ingenuity can still be heard here: in the ever-shifting melodies of Bad Decisions, in Julian Casablancas’ pained shouts on the chorus of Eternal Summer, and in so many more hidden idiosyncrasies that often show their face for only the briefest instant. The longer tracks routinely fail to justify their lengths, and it is truly a shame this loss of focus too often ends what begins as an explosive outburst of passion with a pitiful whimper. Nevertheless, though many fans of The Strokes will continue to let perfect be the enemy of good, any band that can still write something as powerful as Selfless or as euphoric as Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus is one worth listening to.