( A personal favorite of mine!)
This album starts off with “An Air Conditioned Man”, and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever is not wasting a single second to usher in their jangly, breezy blend of Indie Rock. I have to say, they’re certainly sounding urger, which is great. There are still elements of Surf Rock and good ol’ Indie thrown in. But I just love how punchy and filled with attitude this is. Not only is this obviously the most triumphant and urgent sounding Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever track yet, but they just sound so confident. As good as their last EP was, you got the feeling that the band was still trying out a handful of different sounds. But on “An Air Conditioned Man”, they have their missions statement and they’re running with it. And I love the almost Post-Punk vibe I get from that last Spoken Word verse over those wailing guitars. The determination of this album rolls on with “Talking Straight”. Now, you can make the argument that these guys aren’t really bringing anything too groundbreaking to the over-saturated Indie field. But man, are they ever playing what they know with some freakin’ passion. I absolutely love this track and just how catchy it is. In a lot of ways, this would have fit really nicely on their last EP. Not to mention, I absolutely love these much more deadpan vocals. The alternation between the three singers in the band is actually a really great quality, and it’s even more interesting when they’re practically singing on top of one another. It’s a nostalgic tune, but it’s also welcoming and incredibly warm and likable. Now, I’m a winter boy at heart. But tracks like “Mainland” make me want to take a long drive, roll down the windows and sing as loud as I can. This is just another big, breezy and sweet Indie tune. I love all of the imagery here that just adds to how warm this one comes off. But on top of all of that, I continue to be blown away by just how confident the band is sounding. I can’t say no to “Mainland”, it’s just so damn catchy. Then we have “Time In Common”, which I have no idea where the hell THIS came from. But let me tell you, I’m glad it’s here. This track is easily the most aggressive and Punk spirited track I’ve heard from Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily angry or rebellious. But between the very wordy performances and the wildly upbeat verses, this one packs a punch.. Not to mention that chorus is easily one of the most hypnotic of the bunch. This is absolutely a sound I would love to hear more of from the band. Hell, I would even love to hear them more aggressive than this. Not to mention, at only 2-minutes it’s a welcome change of pace to an album that wasn’t even stale yet.
Now, “Sister’s Jeans” may be the sunniest track we’ve heard yet. Sadly though, it’s also one of the shakiest. So far, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever has sounded nothing short of confident and on top of their game. But here, they sound unsure of what whey they want to take this track. Like, the chorus here is grade-a and totally sticks with you and all. But the playing here isn’t nearly as instantaneous, and the band just don’t sound as invigorated. I do still think they pen some great lyrics that really speak to you. But of all of the tracks here, this one just doesn’t sound complete to me. Thankfully, “Bellarine” has just enough intensity to instantly reel me back in. I can’t tell you just how much I love hearing Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever at this intensity. Like, they took to this sound so quickly it’s wild. But at the same time, they really don’t give up any of the jangly guitars or catchy choruses. Because trust me, I’ve been singing this damn chorus all day. The versatility of RBCF continues to be their absolute strongest aspect. You don’t know if they’re going to go for a more Surf Rock inspired tune or a throwback Indie Jam, nothing is off limits. Plus, I swear the band’s instrumentals have just gotten better and better over the years. “Cappuccino City” takes us back to a more stripped down sound. But on the other hand, this one is just so sunny and breezy. Instrumentally this is just the warm Indie tune I want to hear from them. But as far as the vocals go, this is an absolute snoozer sadly. It’s just so uninteresting, and to be hone, don’t even sound like any of the vocals we usually hear. I just don’t know what to say about this one, thankfully instrumentally it’s sweet on the ears. Thankfully, “Exclusive Grave” gets us back in that slick, upbeat groove. And yes, this time around the vocals are just so much more interesting. It may be these sort of monotonous vocals that we occasionally get from the band, but it works. I love the twangy guitar solos and the solid pacing, and while this track may not be as upbeat as I’d like, it’s just fine. And like I said earlier, the occasional shift between vocalists, sometimes at a moments notice, is pleasant.
If you haven’t gotten it by now, this is a damn fine full-length debut, with only a few short hiccups. However, the biggest hiccup here comes in the form of “How Long?”. This track right off the bat just shows that Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever just still aren’t completely comfortable with their sound. This track is a broke down, sort of Southern sounding track which is fucking bizarre when you realize they’re from Australia. And yea, they tried this sound out on their last EP and it worked great. But here, it’s just awkward, and the vocals are so much more drawn out and boring. Thankfully, the band pulls through with a fantastic closer with “The Hammer”. This is one of the peppiest and most interesting all around tracks here. Instantly, I feel like these vocals have so much energy to them, and instrumentally I feel like while this isn’t mindblowing, it’s right where the band should be. Not to mention, between the storytelling aspect here and these awesome visuals, this track is wildly entertaining.
Rating: 8.1/10
Give A Listen To: "Talking Straight", "The Hammer", "Time In Common", "Bellarine"
Least Favorite Track: "How Long?"
Genre: Indie Rock / Jangle Pop / Surf Rock
Overall Thoughts: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever continue to not have the most wild and groundbreaking sound, but end up playing it so well and passionate that it's just so refreshing. Their formula is so simple, but it constantly works for them. Catchy riff, jangly guitar solo, sing-along chorus, next. There are the same elements of Surf Rock and Jangle Pop, and the band are sounding their most confident. Not to mention, there's some new found attitude on some of these tracks that comes off amazingly. There are some awkward detours and moments where they sound a little unsure of what they want to do in the long run, and you can argue that their EP from last year was better than this album. But Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever remain the sunny, breezy Indie band we need right now.
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