written by Maria Arroyo
The California art-pop group, hailing from Topanga, California, Hello Forever, is super stoked for the release of their latest album, Whatever It Is, out now. Hello Forever is Sam Birdy, Andy Jimenez, Joey Briggs, Molly Pease, Anand Darsie, and Jaron Crespi.
“Some Faith” opens the record with some sweet-stacked harmonies and a mix between all seven voices. Their energetic, alt-indie vibe is showcased on this track and it’s a song plays to their strengths and shows how well they work with one another.
The second song on the LP is “Anywhere Is Everywhere.” This song introduces their use of strong Acappella introductions that build up into an explosion of sound!
They have a way of fuzing a singer-songwriter approach paired with a whole lot of high energy resulting in an infectious sound. This song is a feel-good one about loving whoever you want to and really plays into their infectious energy sand sound.
“Farm On The Mountaintop” showcases an edgier side to the band. If they would play this album live, it would make for an incredible experience.
The fact that they can use a lot of different ideas in a way that doesn’t feel overpowered or cluttered is an extremely great skill to have. It helps them keep things fresh without having to push too far out of their own sound.
“Colors In The Sky” has a hard rock approach towards the middle of the song that still highlights their strong understanding of how their voices work in harmony.
“Created For Your Love” has a nice folk and swing-like feel to it and the change in direction for the album was introduced seamlessly. This song pushed itself to the top of my list because it showcased a softer side to their overall sound. Overall, this song is unforgettable in the best way possible.
“Rise” introduces some clear and smooth vocal runs, while “Natural” hit us with the best built up between their softer and more intense moments that really worked in their favor. The push and pull between all of the different parts added more dimension to the sound as well.
“Get It Right” and “Her Everything” brings back a fuller sound for the album along with a strong beat for some emphasis. The building up in the instrumentation is constant throughout these songs as well.
Their next song “Yeah Like Whatever” brings us back down to their softer side once again. Their strong harmonies continue to shine and the fact that there are inklings of all of their strengths was so nice to experience.
They continue to surprise me with their sound and ideas because they can mold themselves to really be as dynamic as possible! “We said today don’t be afraid… whatever” is just one example of this.
“I Want To Marry You” introduces a more human side of them in terms of their storytelling. Once again, this song showed all of the different tricks up their sleeves. This is another favorite for me with it being on the calmer side and with telling a compelling story that kept me at the moment from beginning to end.
Their last song, “Happening,” introduces this ambient opening that leads into an intricate picking pattern. The use of cannon singing and inspiration pulled from traditional Chinese folk music adds even more dimension to the song. This song, in particular, felt like a wholesome and honest end to the album, and I don’t think another set of words could describe them better.
Overall, this album is incredible and I hope it continues to get pushed for the masterpiece that it is. The strong vocal performance is needed in today’s age and the fact that there is so much energy and intensity, but passion and hard work makes it that much better.
