Californian caterwaulers Cold War Kids return with long player number 5 and this time, former touring members Matt Schwartz and Joe Plummer have been formally included in the band, both receiving proper credits for the first time on this album.
The tunes are still pretty catchy too as we get things underway with lead- off single ‘All this Could Be Yours’, urgent drums blended with an infectious bar room piano that reels the listener in. Next up, we get the anthemic ‘O2 First’ followed by second single ‘Hot Coals’, both certain to prove festival favourites, each bouncier than Zebedee on a trampoline. Pick of the eleven songs on offer here is a close call, as ‘Hotel Anywhere’ a piledriver of a track, perhaps referencing life on the road vies with the dreamy ‘Nights and Weekends’ for the top spot.
The final clutch of numbers include the title track that surprises you with a choppy guitar in the chorus before we round things off with the stark ‘Harold Bloom’ and moody ‘Hear My Baby Call’ where electric piano and organ provide a haunting denouement, vocalist Nathan Willet imploring the listener to reach out to him as the album draws to a close.
Words - Mike Price
Cold War Kids Official
Buy Hold My Home
