“Everything old is new again,” homegrown performer Peter Allen once proclaimed. It’s an idiom that neatly defines HelloGoodbye’s third album. Everything Is Debatable represents much more than a lazy reprisal of ideas: the album is a stylistic fusion of its two predecessors. It works well, too, the jangly guitar of Would It Kill You? meshing comfortably with the obnoxious synths of Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!
The opening track, And Everything Becomes A Blur, features frontman Forrest Kline musing upon mortality and impermanence. To Kline’s credit, he manages to keep the LP sounding decidedly upbeat, in spite of its themes. Summer Of The Lily Pond traces bittersweet resignation, yet it sports a rambunctious, brass-fuelled swagger. Only A Near Death Experience sheds the album’s juxtapositional trend with style, the arresting epic making for an exceptional finale. It ought to be said, however, that (Everything Is) Debatable is the stand-out overall. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more sublime archetype of a contemporary indie-pop single. Infectious and in-step with trends, it’s the go-to track in an otherwise consistent album.
You could accuse HelloGoodbye of arriving a little late to the party, with the likes of Passion Pit, The Wombats and Foster The People all exploring similar sounds and ideas years earlier. Yes, this particular showcase of HelloGoodbye’s indie-pop expertise lacks originality in patches, but you’d be daft to let that detract from an otherwise excellent record. In boasting a knack for neat and catchy melodies, HelloGoodbye continue to match it with the world’s indie-pop heavyweights.
BY NICK MASON
Best Track: (Everything Is) Debatable
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Torches FOSTER THE PEOPLE, This Modern Glitch THE WOMBATS
In A Word: Fun
