The first thing we heard from the new album was "Wild Thing", probably the only song that reminds us of the "First Days of Spring" band. Because on "Last Night on Earth" the folksy, sparse arrangements, are gone, replaced by an 80's flavoured synth pop. And this has pros and cons.
On the good side, we have some tunes, the majority concentrated on the first half of the record, that are refreshing. "Life is Life", "Tonight's the Kind of Night" and single "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N" are enjoyable and charming pop gems. Even "Give it All Back", despite their many lyrics clichés and "American catch-all" (you know that Springsteen's "Glory Days" feeling) vibe is undoubtedly a strong and pleasant track.But concerns are there too. The synths and lightweight drum machine beats that are replacing the acoustic sounds are not always that welcomed. I particularly believe that Charlie Fink's way of singing (these sort of crooning, storytelling) doesn't really fit with the new music direction sometimes.
But that's not the main issue. A pop record can be ok. A pop record can be, of course, excellent and delightful to hear. But this sort of pop approach from Noah and The Whale seems a bit vacuous when the lyrics pretend to say so much. It's like eating candy: can be really enjoyable, but doesn't have enough substance to feed you. A nice pop collection, and a brave attempt to move on from a defined style, but something is missing to fully grab you here.
SCORE: 6/10
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