I started training for the New York City Marathon this week and have been in search of an upbeat backtrack to the tedious plodding percussion of my feet on pavement. Lucky for me, the stars aligned and LA four-piece Bad Suns decided to release their debut album Language & Perspective (via Vagrant Records) Tuesday. The long-awaited follow-up to their Transpose EP has the impassioned poppy feel of Bastille with a retro vibe a la The 1975 and a carefree cohesion that screams “summer” but has enough endurance to warm us through the seasons.
Best known for their hits “Cardiac Arrest,” “Salt,” “Transpose” and most recently “We Move Like the Ocean” – we were most impressed by the fresh songs that fleshed out the 11-track playlist.
Opening the album is “Matthew James” – a song laced with the band’s signature pumped up beats, sing-along hooks, and repetitive, relatable lyrics, “The more I try and simplify / I realize it passes by / I find myself enamored with / an answer that does not exist.” “Dancing on Quicksand” has a vintage feel of The Police to it, and while lyrically it’s a woeful lament of regret, running out of luck and “f***ing up,” it doesn’t lose the contemporary quick tempo unique to the majority of Bad Suns’ offerings. It’s a beautiful contradiction, and my pick for best lesser-known track on the album.
Still topping the list of fan favorites, is the hit single that first introduced me and most of the world to these guys: “Cardiac Arrest” – a heart-palpitating, punchy production that is the prime-rib of pop ballads. It’s just too good, and sooner or later it’s over, and you want to go back for seconds.
So whether you’re trying to run 26.2 miles, or you’re just tossing a beach ball around and need a bouncy, badass soundtrack to your summer, look no further than Language & Perspective – available for streaming below and purchasing at iTunes. And if you’re not exhausted from running and sunning, try and catch the boys while they tour the US this summer and link up at the socials below.
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