With the release of their forth record, Young The Giant has attempted to return to a more familiar sound. After the dance pop sidestep of Home Of The Strange, they’ve returned to more of a traditional sound. Even though they’re still caught in the gears of Fueled By Ramen, they have been trying to establish their own identity.
“Call Me Back” is a stripped back song that doesn’t really do much to showcase the band’s overall, complete talent. It’s a good little number but it doesn’t do anything other than just leaving the listener scratching their heads a bit. “Superposition” is more of a great YTG song, better than any we’ve heard on the last record. Actually, it’s one of the best songs I’ve heard this year, very laidback and very chill, and still better than anything Weezer has put out lately. The album’s main single “Simplify” is more of a straight-ahead pop song, but it still works and is good enough of a track to justify having it here.
One can say that the band has changed their sound too much since their first record that everyone loved. Many diminishing returns later, the band has almost gotten stuck in the wheels of success that made Paramore, 21 Pilots, and Panic! At The Disco so huge. YTG hasn’t been as successful, so they’re trying whatever they can to maybe achieve the same success with less than spectacular results.
The cursing on “Oblivion” seems obligatory at this point, but it doesn’t work for a band like this and makes them look messy and ill-timed. The song is not that great and feels very flat and boring. “You + I” is a quirky little pop song, but it works and is definitely one of the best songs found here. “Tightrope” is a damn full on dance song that is worth skipping and not paying attention to.
While there are some better songs here than any that were found on the last record, it’s a complete shame that Young The Giant has disappeared from their rock sound that worked so well for them the first time around. I know a band needs to change, expand, and grow but sometimes they should just stay in the style that works for them. This record is better than the last, but I was looking for a full-on return to form. Maybe next time, things will truly get better.
