Premature Evaluation: Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness

I waited a long time for Romance is Boring. Not as in I heard an album or two, liked it and couldn't wait for more; not in a prodigious sense where the band appealed to me unlike any other; rather, that album was the first I had heard from the Welsh band. I needed that album. It was the voice of angst in a generation overemotional beings with faux tears and anxious sorrows with rampant sadness and romances. But most of all, it spoke to lusty heartbreaks and hormonal teenage passions. Though I've never aligned myself with such a group, the distaste towards archetypal love reverberated in the sense that it made me feel grounded. The whole bashing of a generation and love itself made sense at the time like no other music did, so I clung to it...

Hello Sadness is not out yet. It hasn't even leaked, so don't bother looking right away. No, only two singles have made their way to the internet to be heard and, though this isn't any definite sign of what the album will be like, it does give us a very minimal first impression. Unfortunately, this isn't the first impression I was hoping for. Though By Your Hand is an incredibly catchy song, it, along with the titular track, lacks what made their past albums so special and unique. The lyrics are less, forthelackofabetterword, aggressive and the self-deprecating tone has been raised to a nearly hyperbolic, yet infantile, state. Now, the sincerity seems lacking and the presentation unenthusiastic. Maybe it's the constantly changing line up or maybe it's simply a change in direction, but now they just sound... generic...

Los Campeinos! are still standouts with their tweeish sound. Their voice is still unique and this album will still probably be a standout among albums going for a similar tone. For the most part, my excitement has not wavered enough to worry me, but I'm still somewhat hesitant with what has been presented. I can somewhat conclude that this won't be Romance is Boring or anything of the sort, but it will still be Los Campesinos!. In the end, that will be enough...