SIMPLE CREATURES - “Strange Love" ALBUM REVIEW
If you were were expecting the most epic, pop-punk album in the last decade with the recent collaborative efforts from arguably two of the biggest names in the game with Mark Hoppus of blink-182 and Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low, then you're looking in the wrong place...
The duo's new project Simple Creatures, though heavily influenced by the punk rock world is anything but that, and is now being affectionately dubbed "Trash-Pop" by the two bandmates.
We were first given a taste of the band's direction this past January with the debut of their first single DRUG. With Hoppus on bass guitar and vocals and Gaskarth on guitar and vocals the band takes you down a rabbit hole of dance pop music with distorted vocals, electronic drums, and a shit ton of sing-a-long parts, "na-na-na."
SIMPLE CREATURES - DRUG
So what exactly IS "trash-pop"? As stated by Gaskarth: "Trash-Pop IS Simple Creatures. It's just a term that we affectionately started dubbing whatever this music is that we've been creating. I think that it does have a lot of pop sensibility to it but at all times there is some element of twisted weirdness that takes it off the rails and takes it out of being just a straight ahead pop project."
Each song on STRANGE LOVE is a pop-rock anthem that both mainstream and punk fans alike can enjoy. With songs like DRUG, HOW TO LIVE and title track STRANGE LOVE, there is is this reminiscent sound of bands like The Chainsmokers and melodic overtones of artists like Post Malone that dips and dives in and out of the bounds of pop and enters some indie territory with topics of love, loss and relationships.
With tunes like ETHER, ADRENALINE and LUCY the songs have a more fresh, one-of-a-kind sound with heavy distorted guitars, super dynamic parts that are, at times, only vocals and one instrument, and at other times the song hits you with big, heavy parts that show off the band's former pop-punk roots while dabbling in retro video game like sounds with sweeping synth and sawtooth patches.
But don't take my word for it! Listen to Strange Love which is OUT NOW!
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