Bad Suns "Apocalypse Whenever" - Album Review

6/10

Well, it's definitely a pop record, with the tracks seeming to have each been made fitting the same relatively simple songwriting format, with plenty of catchy hooks and bright/upbeat instrumentation. Not quite to the depth and level of interest of their fantastic debut Language and Perspective missing some of the jangly and intriguing guitar work along with the more acoustic drums as opposed to the electronic drums used on this release. With that being said, the highs and very high here and there really are not any "lows," just a couple of relatively non interesting tracks. For a pop record, it also seems a bit on the longer side without songs with too much depth allowing it to be as long as it is. The singles are magical though and at least for me, have found themselves on repeat again and again.

The final single to be released off this album Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me might be one of the best indie tracks released this year. True upbeat, bright indie gold all around. With a super catchy chorus, there's not many indie-pop songs that come to mind that are truly that memorable, and that catchy. The high level of production and catchy synthesizers made for a great song nostalgic towards the 80's pop sounds of Wham!, a-ha, or A Flock of Seagulls. Following that track, Electric Circus is a nice modernized nod back to the 80's and probably Christo Bowman's best song for his vocals on the record. Towards the end of the song the band cuts back, and Christo shows off his expansive vocal range, a real treat for Bad Suns fans. The closing track Symphony of Lights brings in a bit more instrumentation and a super pleasing chord progression played on the keys, building throughout the song. A bit more of that, and a little bit less of the filler tracks like Summer Lightning and Grace.

Tracks such as Peachy and Heaven is a Place in My Head give listeners plenty memorable hooks, and catchy sounds especially the latter. The upbeat Heavan is a Place in My Head is filled with the bright sound and driving tempo that made the Bad Suns debut so good. A great summer song, with some great guitar work (Finally!) and some great drums as well. Probably the second strongest track on the record behind Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me and one that I have found in my own heavy rotation.

An album filled with some real good songs and groovy enough, no doubt about that. You have to respect these guys for the effort here, you really do as you could probably put about three of these songs in their all-time top 10, but as a whole, the lyrical writing is a bit weak, too many filler tunes, and most importantly, the record as a whole doesn't seem to have much longevity. A good album is made up of a bunch of good songs bringing together some sort of a collective which I just don't quite get from this record. Bad Suns could have rocked out a bit more than they did although I will give them some credit on Silently Screaming where they bust out the saxophone and bring the band out. Definitely worth the listen, but the collection of songs here to the record as whole is just not too impressive. I respect the effort and look forward to what these guys come out with next.