COLD WAR KIDS: Cold War Kids
There’s something interesting about the self-titled album, especially when it comes later in a musician’s career. It seems to suggest that an artist is expressing themselves in their purest form or their best selves. Sometimes it’s a rebranding technique: Stone Temple Pilots self-titled their sixth album as a way of heralding Scott Weiland back into the band. Sometimes it’s a marketing gimmick: Weezer seem to have figured out that they can get fans extra hyped just by putting out yet another self-titled, color-themed album every few years.
Cold War Kids is the band’s tenth full-length album- and the title (or lack of one) seems every bit like a statement of purpose. They’ve spent two decades as prolific indie rock stalwarts- if not exactly crossover stars on the level of, say, Imagine Dragons. They can write great big radio fixtures like “Hang Me Out To Dry” and “First,” but somehow still seem like underdogs. But lo and behold, this album truly sounds like an accumulation of twenty years as a band: It sounds like the most fully-realized version of Cold War Kids yet.
From opening track “Double Life,” the production is gorgeous. It’s a perfect track 1, with lyrics that look back on the band’s history, set to a tempo that sounds like they’re just getting started. “Run Away With Me” is just as catchy and danceable, with a solid foot in bluesy barroom rock. “Stray” slows things down by a fraction, but the lush chorus compromises none of the energy. The sequencing alone is impressive; each song sounds like it’s truly setting the table for the next song- a lost art in the age of streaming.
Some diehards might be left pining for the band’s early sound. It would be fair to say that Cold War Kids sound more polished than ever- and it should be said that “Blame” sounds just a little too close to “Mr. Brightside.” But frontman Nathan Willett is still bringing the same level of intelligent sincerity to his lyrics, even if he clearly wants you to dance. And when the band finally slows down to catch their breath on tracks like “Betting On Us,” it’s never indulgent or dull. This is by far and away the most consistently satisfying album they’ve made yet. A
