Entering their thirteenth year (eleven since their debut L.P.), Long Beach's Cold War Kids can now be considered veterans of the US indie scene. However, the stop-start guitar, thumping bass drums and smooth keyboard which have come to characterise their sound remains constant. As do Nathan Willett's soaring vocals and pitch-perfect falsettos with their soulful, almost gospel rock quality reminiscent of Foals' Yannis Philippakis or even new Brandon Flowers.
In spite of their experience on the road, every song is infused with a youthful optimism and drive to find love. Willett approaches the latter with supernatural intensity in opening track Love Is Mystical. Don't mistake this for the groan-inducing lovey-dovey lyricism that many similar bands often find themselves producing. The Californian quintet demonstrate a certain maturity reflecting on relationships past and present, successes and failures. Nor are they simplistic: every song is layered with intricate bass and echoey percussion. While the album undeniably starts more strongly than it ends, it's definitely worth a listen nonetheless. 4/5
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