The latest release from link textWorld5 delivers a beautiful blend of what I would consider to be contemporary pop, with some rock backbone at times, and a wonderfully delicate approach with honest lyrics that really paint pictures and give you glimpses of personality through and through.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this record is the sheer fact that it blends and bends genres at will. There are a lot of elements throughout this record that give it extra flavor, and the very first track gives a great example of that.
"I Get It" opens up the record, and does an amazing job of doing so. This song has a smooth feel, honest words, and a rich undertone, but it also features some southern-style guitar work that's amazingly performed, giving the track hints of Americana. This single alone gives you so much of the robust staples that you hear throughout the record. This, of course, includes some memorable hooks and the pop sensibility that the band always holds on tightly to.
"Just Another Night" has a bit of a deeper groove, features instruments like saxophone, and definitely paints a picture of the aftermath of a relationship, and in doing so, you can feel some of the emotional drive that helped create the song in the first place.
A lot of these songs tell stories. They're each a little different, with some coming from a more personal perspective, like this track.
Then there are songs like "Cry for the Children", which, to me, hits almost like an 80s pop song. This one has beautiful vocal harmonies and a very passionate performance from everyone.
There's something about these songs that puts you there in the moment with them. That is a huge part of why and up getting attached to the record in the first place. The album has heart. It doesn't just paint those pictures, but it gives you glimpses of personality and character from beginning to end. I think it's the character you end up holding on to as well. These guys are outstanding at writing some thick hooks, and delivering lyrics that are authentic. They all come from a genuine place, and songs like this one come through feeling very cinematic. As a matter of fact, I would consider these guys to be more of a cinematic pop than almost anything else.
Of course, everyone who listens to this record will interpret it a little bit differently. For me, it's the messaging, the sentiment, the lyrics, and the way that the instruments create this incredible mood for those lyrics in every song.
"Be You" is the kind of song that feels more upbeat, jamming guitars, lots of color, a great energy, and vocals that give you more range, hitting higher-pitched notes, and giving off a very danceable feel and aesthetic.
By the time you get halfway through the record, you start to get a feel for the diversity and a slew of influences that inspire the band. It feels like each member brings their own influences to the table, and in doing so, you have a very lush and full-bodied record that feels great to listen to but also gives you depth, layers, and again, amazing stories that you can really soak in.
Tracks like "A Moment In Time" give more of a pop-rock approach. The brightness is there, the tones of the instruments have a little bit of a distortion to them, and the whole thing has a fun and very addictive rock balance.
This album is called III, and it definitely walks the line between not just genres, but sentiment. There's a lot of relationship-based songs throughout the course of this record, and it's all very human. It lets you remember that life isn't clean. Life can be messy, especially when it comes to love, relationships, and everything else. Each one of these songs seems to carry a message with it. If you listen carefully, you can feel how the songs interconnect with each other almost like a concept album would. The energy of the record feels outstanding as well. As I mentioned earlier, you feel like you're in the moment with a lot of these songs, and that's not just because of the lyrics, but also because of the performances. The performances have a sort of synergy between the players. It's almost like they recorded it all at once, like a live performance. The dynamics are amazingly balanced; they paid a lot of attention to the tones of their instruments and how the aesthetic of the record would feel in the end, and because of those details, you get pulled in and sort of engulfed by all the different areas and emotions of the release.
There is most certainly a range of emotion throughout this record, and again, it's one of the things that lets you remember that you're human. People go through plenty of ups and downs, feelings, and emotions, but this record manages to capture that incredibly well. It puts them all out there, and because of the way they do it, you end up connecting with a lot of these songs.
This was a gorgeous piece of work with songs that speak volumes for the band, as they never let go of the pop element, but always blend in other styles and approaches into their music and songs. They also never let go of the emotional backbone that a lot of the songs were born from, which is always important. I would absolutely listen to this record all the way through, and one shot.
WORLD5 - The Pop-Rock Band
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