Hooray for Earth
Racy
DOVECOTE
7/10
Back for their first full-length since 2011’s True Loves, the Boston-bred, New York City–dwelling outfit have a lot to live up to. The success of that album, which featured band impresario Noel Heroux manning production and engineering duties, landed the group featured spots on the BBC and earned the group plaudits for its interchangeable sound. This time around, the group enlisted producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beach House, Grizzly Bear) to shape something that features more rocking elements. Beginning with the melodically droning fury of “Hey”—which has Crazy Horse–era Neil Young’s fingerprints, Heroux and company keep you on your toes with their intricate blend of electro-meets-experimental rock. Other tunes, like the delightful synth-pop of both “Say Enough” and the more anthemic “Somewhere Else” and their take on a more expansive, yet direct sound on “Last, First,” show that the quartet continues to collectively push themselves as they explore a bigger soundscape. In this case, that’s not a bad thing.
