Cold War Kids
Hold My Home
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
It’s hard to remember that these guys were ever the “next big thing” after hearing this lackluster attempt at a new album.
The most ironic piece of the album comes in the song titled “Harold Bloom”, in which they state “there will always be another Harold Bloom to criticize your every move.” Well, this self-fulfilling prophecy has been ignited because Hold My Home will most likely be criticized by everyone with a good set of ears. From lead singer Nathan Willett’s pitchy, shrill vocals to drummer Joe Plummer’s unimaginative steady bass drum beats, this album is best forgotten. “Go Quietly” is one of the most unnerving of these tracks, with Willett going so high up into his falsetto register he sounds like a boy soprano. It is obvious that all of these strange choices have been intentionally chosen, which brings into question the producer for this off-the-mark collection.
The one redeeming track on Hold My Home is “Hotel Anywhere”, which is finally main-stream enough that it won’t make your ears bleed. Willet’s voice is buried well into the track, and reverb has finally been applied to make his voice much easier to handle. The sound is different from the rest of the album, sounding more like a late 80’s anthem than a hipster track from 2014. Unfortunately, the album sinks quickly after that and never recovers. Even in “Harold Bloom”, with it’s tell-tale defensive lyrics, has a regrettable cheap-sounding electric organ solo at the end of it that will make you face palm with dismay.
All in all, stick with the good old days of Cold War Kids. They had it once, and who knows where it went, but it’s certainly not on Hold My Home.
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