The new project from Brad Hale, the drummer for indie-rock superstars Now, Now (formerly known as Now, Now Every Children), Sombear exists as a place for Hale’s love of ’90s radio pop and R&B to reside. Using vocal effects, drum machines and a healthy dose of synth, Love You In The Dark is much like an electronic indie album mixed with the accessibility of household-name pop stars from the last decade.
“Incredibly Still” starts things off and lets us know this is a beat-driven album with extremely high production values and synth acrobatics. It’s a languid opener that erupts into busy pop instrumentation, and sets the pace for the remainder of the disc. The album takes a sharp turn with the funky, dance-floor friendly “The Way We Are,” one of the most lively moments among a highly eclectic collection of sounds. Though a good chunk of this is slower paced and more R&B-influenced, with plenty of emphasis on bass as on the middle tracks “LA” and “Love You In The Dark,” straightforward pop tunes like “Never Say Baby” could easily take over the FM dial. Near the end, “The Good” is more pop-rock oriented and the album finishes with “Rich Hair,” a hushed ballad that jumps into a sonically loud atmosphere.
Though it lingers more on the dark side of the spectrum, this disc has the electro-pop and easily palatable moments for the quick-fix crowd, too. While those expecting something along the lines of Hale’s work with Now, Now might need some time to acclimate to the glossy feel here, there’s quite a few nods to his indie-rock credibility as well. One can’t help but wonder, though, what’s stopping Hale from writing radio songs for whoever is flavor of the month in the pop world and cashing in, as he certainly has a knack for tapping into that sensibility.
