Shout Out Louds
Our ill wills
Bud Fox Recordings/Merge
It's finally here: the Shout Out Louds second album. I was wondering when the band would stop touring and record and last fall they entered the studio with Björn Yttling. In contrast to their debut album "Howl howl gaff gaff", where I thought the production overshadowed the both the songwriting and performance, everything is hit in stride and the songwriting has grown up a bit. With the single "Tonight I have to leave it" invading clubs and venues worldwide, the album is being set up to be one of the biggest indie releases of the year. Standout tracks such as "You are dreaming", "Normandie", "Time left for love" and "Blue headlights" (keyboardist Bebban Stenborg's singing debut) really connect with the listener, with both strong hooks and great lyrics. The album closes out in style with "Hard rain", a track that is most akin to "Howl howl gaff gaff" in feel, but not overpowered by production. Instead the production values allow the song to breathe and unfold before your ears. Although I thought the band should have gotten better known with their debut, this record surely will; and has been one of the records I have listened to the most so far this year.
- Matt Giordano