Back in 2012, when I was first starting this blog, I reviewed this band's second full length album Nocturne, and remember being pleasantly surprised. In fact, looking back I think I enjoy that album more now than I did initially. It was a great mix of Dream-pop and Brit-pop that was just so much fun. Now we have Life of Pause nearly four years later and mastermind Jack Tatum is shifting the band's direction quite a bit. The jangly guitars are all but gone, instead replaced by thick synths and that call back to not only the 80's, but also Nocturne's more dreamy moments.
In my opinion, this shift in sound goes over pretty well, because underneath the synths and reverb, Jack's songwriting still shines through, especially on early album cuts "Lady Blue" and "A Women's Wisdom". These tracks are the kind that make you want to gently rock your shoulders back and forth while wearing your favorite striped sweater and sipping on the finest of store-bought green teas.
That image aside, I think this album has a lot of solid moments. Aside from the aforementioned tracks, the album does pick up the energy a bit, such as on tracks like "To Know You" and "TV Queen" which will get stuck in your head, I guarantee it. And luckily, the majority of this album is this solid, though there are a couple of moments that dip into the more drab parts of the spectrum, such as the opener "Reichpop" which is okay, but overstays its welcome a bit; the same can be said of the closer here as well. But these moments don't bring this album down all that much, and I still think this album is great, in spite of them.
Is it better than Nocturne? Ehh, maybe not; but that has more to do with personal preference than the objective quality of the music on offer here. Both this album and Nocturne are great examples of modern reverb-laden pop that is actually palpable and strong-spined; essentially music that is more than just an after effect at work, and I really think any fan of this style of music should give Life of Pause a try.
7.5/10
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