Album Reviews: The Hives, Hayley Williams, The Beaches

The Hives – The Hives Forever Forever the Hives
Fagersta, Sweden

To see a band like The Hives maintain the spark in their sonics and delivery after 20+ years, it’s inspiring. But while the album wouldn’t go amiss at most points in their discography, they’ve reached a point lyrically as a punk band where they either have to start saying something real or go full surrealist in their storytelling. “Enough Is Enough” maintains that burning sword the band brings in their punchy punk pop, losing a bit in their more clichéd lyrics, but more than making up for it with how explosive their energy has stayed after all these years. There’s a modern Misfits fury to “Paint a Picture,” the hooks feeling a little less original but letting the rest of the track become such a celebratory earworm that by its last chorus you’re chanting along anyway. Between the great horns and keyboard lines colouring in the already vibrant protest pop of “Legalize Living” the band has truly matured sonically while keeping a lot of their sound sharp and intact, though it would take it that much further if they could get a little deeper lyrically than simply being against a vague system. That said, when they dive into the dumb fun of “The Hives Forever Forever the Hives,” it’s a lot more of a fun, goofy and combustive moment since they’re already shedding the pretense and just going for it.

Riun Garner – Someone to You (Single)
Vancouver

There’s a cautiousness mixed with the sweetness on Riun Garner’s latest single that leaves it feeling fresh from one edge or the other of a new love. The synesthesia crowd can easily revel in the sunny guitars as Garner talks about breaking light with his hands, as you feel intimately at one with the lyrics in the song’s sonic palette. The nostalgia and very tape-born sounds of the track also play to its sense of looking back at mistakes, and how clear (and also blurry) they can be when looking back. Though it can sound a bit jaded and sitting in one dynamic pocket, it once again plays to that core story of a worn-out look back, flattened out into one moment.

The Beaches – No Hard Feelings
Toronto

As a rare breed that can somehow keep guitar-focused pop rock fresh, The Beaches have truly crafted a secret sauce. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but the band keeps that vigour and curiosity to ensure their songs never feel lacking. The cold neon guitars cut sharp on “Did I Say Too Much,” as the band straddles stadium pop with a fun 80s glow. It’s clear how far the Beaches have come not only in their hook writing but their overall sound, as “Touch Myself” soars as the album’s most beautiful song, and easily one of its most memorable. Though “Takes One to Know One” does simplify things a lot, the cool and fleshed out sound, mixed with the cheeky lyrics, ensures it has a fun staying power. There’s such a rich charge to “Jocelyn” as it is constantly booming with an excited passion, letting all the shimmering guitars just paint out how deep the romance runs here.

Austra – Math Equation (Single)
Toronto

In a slow and scratching bit of electronic sway, Austra builds a sonic tapestry on “Math Equation.” As she slowly breaks apart every detail of cheating and betrayal the song adds in melodies and percussion, sketching out verbally and acoustically the full extent of her pain. And once it crests that minor climax, the cool, airy synths sweep in with a haunting tone, like a frigid squall. And just as it hits a new high within the mix and overall vibe of the track, Austra cuts it off, perhaps going a touch too short, but maxing out on how sweet it feels.

Hayley Williams – Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
Franklin, TN/Meridian, MS

After releasing her album a little more scattered, Hayley Williams has finally and formally dropped her latest album. Even more than her last solo effort, this record finds Williams remixing every inch of her sounds from other projects to create a collection of songs that explores her inner self and personal battles in an inspiringly open and palpably raw way. With the warped tones of “Glum” playing to a disaffected notion, Williams gets more experimental while exploring the pains and strength of continuously searching for meaning. There’s a sharper pop edge to “Kill Me” that blends all her various sounds into a powerful wall of chaotic defense, trying to hold her own against an endless barrage of turmoil. The surrealism of “True. Believer” is a fun twist, giving it an almost comic-like energy as Williams confronts the history of her Southern roots. “Parachute” brings in a lot of smart pop sensibilities to a constantly evolving wail to the abyss, with Williams adding the grime and furious vocals in a spoonful, and later, with dump trucks.