Earlier this year New York
band “Guards” released their debut album
“In Guards We Trust”. Since then they have toured with fellow
Americans MGMT and won over many critics. The bands light (yet
thought provoking), happy and free sound makes for a combination of
thoughts containing the urge to sing-along every word and the
helpless feeling of utter wanderlust. With lead singer's “Richie
Follin” sister being part of group “Cults” one could
definitely imagine a lot of pressure being on the Americans. How they
felt whilst recording their impressive debut isn't important, though.
The result is. And the end product is what has to be one of the
albums of 2013. Twelve songs taking the listener from energy packed
songs such as “Silver Lining” up to slower “1&1” make
this a must-hear. Combining melodic vocals with fitting guitar, drum
and synth pieces give Guards a sound that will lift anyones mood.
Another easily detectable feature in their music is the flawless
chemistry existing between each member.
The synth intro of “Nightmare” catapults the
listener straight into what feels like a broken roller coaster.
Broken, because instead of having highs and lows “In Guards We
Trust” just starts and ends on a very high note with mere minor
slips along the way. The whole album is fueled by an energetic pulse
hammering through the album like a stampede of happiness. “Ready To
Go”, the band's most successful track has
enjoyed moderate fame in the US and abroad (German music magazine
“Musikexpress”
recently put this song on one of their highly popular mix tapes).
The penultimate track “Home Free” is, in my opinion, puts the group into an elite group of bands, that have mastered the skill of writing music capable of inducing wanderlust into the person currently enjoying this masterpiece. The opening instrumental part brings back memories of long past travels and induces longing thoughts of new ones.
Lyrically Guards still have potential, though. In the sense, that, their aren't any stand-out lyrics, which you feel an urge to have tattooed straight away. And critics could also argue that each song's chorus is fairly similar, though I believe this feature just helps distinguish Guards' sound.
The penultimate track “Home Free” is, in my opinion, puts the group into an elite group of bands, that have mastered the skill of writing music capable of inducing wanderlust into the person currently enjoying this masterpiece. The opening instrumental part brings back memories of long past travels and induces longing thoughts of new ones.
Lyrically Guards still have potential, though. In the sense, that, their aren't any stand-out lyrics, which you feel an urge to have tattooed straight away. And critics could also argue that each song's chorus is fairly similar, though I believe this feature just helps distinguish Guards' sound.
“The future's also I see”, claim Guards. And if
this statement is true, then fans can start looking forward to more
great music in the future.
In Guards We Trust.
For fans of: Peace, The Shins, Cults
In Guards We Trust.
For fans of: Peace, The Shins, Cults
"In Guards We Trust" Out of ten: 9,5/10
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