Mikhael Paskalev’s debut album What’s Life Without Losers was one of the biggest unexpected alternate hit records of 2013. How do you live up to the hype?
Such questions don’t seem to have plagued Paskalev and as such, the impressive Heavy has not succumbed to the much-dreaded sophomore slump. On the whole, while the album doesn’t have the number of toe-tapping tracks as its predecessor, it’s lovingly crafted and nearly every song feels like a singalong. Paskalev’s voice sound rich and vibrant like he’s recorded the vocals ten times over and the slight variance in timing makes it sound like a choir.
Shotgun is the catchiest track on Heavy and is the song most reminiscent of his debut. Needles makes you want to shout along with the chorus, such is its immensely strong appeal. The title track is somewhat of a mish-mash of minimalist sounds. The first few listens sound like he perhaps had too many ideas and should’ve culled some, however with time the song really grows on you and is the most interesting listen on the record. Paskalev has delivered a strong follow-up album that’s worthy of repeat listens.
