Between Us: Album Review

This album review is coming in two months late, but better late than never, especially for the debut album from electronic artist, Hayden James. I wrote a blog post about Hayden James last year. I became obsessed with his song “NUMB” last May and it was a song I continually listened to through the rest of 2018. This summer he released his debut album Between Us on June 14, 2019. The Australian DJ has been in the music world since 2013. He had only released 1 EP and plenty of singles up until his album release in June, but he’s been known for some killer tracks.

His first album features a few of those songs. “NUMB”, “Just Friends”, and “Better Together” are on the record amongst several new tracks. All three were released over the last two years. Leading up to the album release, James dropped the song “Nowhere to Go” as well. The album features collaborations with indie electronic artists Elderbrook and Running Touch. Between Us is filled with house music that will get you in the groove from top to bottom. I can hear a lot of these songs being played in clubs worldwide, if they’re not already.

To all my electronic music fans out there, I urge you to check out Hayden James if you haven’t already. This new record is filled with bangers. Hayden James just started his fall tour in support of the album. He’ll be hitting several U.S. cities in September and October as well as playing dates in Australia and Europe. The tour seems relatively small based on the amount of dates and venues, but that might not be for long as I’m sure his fan base is currently growing. It’s time to hop on the Hayden James train because it’s moving at full speed and not stopping any time soon.

Doom Days: Album Review

Since Bastille released their sophomore album in September 2016, they’ve still been very much active in the touring and music world. They toured through 2017 and released new music in 2018 including the chart topping hit “Happier” in collaboration with EDM DJ Marshmello. It all lead up to the release of their third album Doom Days on June 14th.

Bastille’s new album is another indie pop/rock masterpiece from the British band. I feel like every Bastille album is just a continuation of the prior. Their tracks have catchy hooks that seem to stick in your head well beyond the 3-4 minutes you spend listening to a song. The consistency of their sound and vibe is a thing of beauty. I think part of the reason for that is Dan Smith’s smooth, hypnotizing vocals. Their sound also dives a little bit deeper into electronic music this time around. “Another Place” has a tropical house feel to it. “Million Pieces” also bridges that gap into electronic music. Lyrically the new record feels like it’s about getting through tough times. Songs like “Quarter Past Midnight”, “Joy”, and “Those Nights” are perfect examples of that theme. 

Bastille will be embarking on a fall tour in support of the album across the U.S. and Canada. They also have announced dates across the U.K. and in Australia. I’ve already picked up a copy of the new record and have planned to try to catch them on this tour. Bastille has put out consistently good records since their debut in 2013. They also put on a great live show. Definitely listen to this new record whether you’re a fan or casual listener because it’s another good one. You’ll probably fall into it just like I did and just like “The Waves”, you may even “get carried away.”

Fever Dream: Album Review

After working two festivals and being forgetful about the blog for a month and a half, I’m back with an album review. In fact, in the past few weeks several artists I like have released new music and I’ll probably do a couple more reviews in the coming days/weeks.  First up is the latest from Of Monsters and Men, Fever Dream.

Fever Dream is the third full length album from the Icelandic indie folk pop group. It was released on July 26th. This is also the band’s latest album since 2015. The band hinted working on new music in spring 2017 via their instagram, but “Alligator”, the first single from Fever Dream, dropped a little under two years later. Fever Dream is full of melodic indie pop jams similar to their first two albums. There’s not one particular track that stands out as being “that song” like “Little Talks” was on their debut, but there are several songs that will surely grow to be popular amongst fans of the band and indie music fans alike. One of those songs is “Wars” which is about a mind war between loving and not loving someone. One of my personal favorites is “Ahay”. What I can say about the track is that the chorus is extremely catchy.

As I mentioned, over the years Of Monsters and Men has stayed consistent on their sound. The vocals of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson create a beautiful harmony which have become a signature mark of the band. They’ve also stayed within the realms of a mixture of indie pop and indie folk music, which is always a good thing as a fan. They’ve also routinely used native instruments like the glockenspiel as part of their music.

I’m definitely a fan of Fever Dream because I’m a fan of Of Monsters and Men. Even if you’re not a huge fan, the album is still worth a listen if you’re a fan of the indie pop genre. The new record is a great album to put in your car while heading on a road trip during these summer months. I felt like it was at least while driving to my gig the other day. This fall, the band will be embarking on a tour in support of their latest work. Check out Fever Dream when you have the chance and check them out in a city near you soon.