Cold War Kids' 'Hold My Home' Is Another Indie Winner

Writing a review for Cold War Kids is a tough one.  This is because it is likely that someone who is interested in their new album will be a massive fan anyway.  Otherwise, these guys have been around for so long it is getting to the point that if you haven't found them yet you never will.  For those of you who are new to Cold War Kids ... welcome!  This is a band whose records you will be able to enjoy for years to come.

It is easy to underestimate the cult following of Cold War Kids in the UK.  This is a band without any major success here and yet, up to now, have managed to produce four excellent albums and seem to not appear to pose any likelihood of slowing down the frequency or quality of their creative output.  Part of this longevity is likely due to the sheer size of the buying population of the indie market in their native United States of America.  However, the romantic in me also hopes that it is because this band is so good.  If you are fans of other US indie bands like The Shins, Modest Mouse and Guided By Voices then this is the band for you.

The new album from the Long Beach, California based five piece is called 'Hold My Home' and is everything you would want from them.  The simple but strong drum beats, blues influenced moments, songs with strong hooks and meaningful, personal lyrical content are all here as you would expect.  However, this album sounds like it has much more energy than some of their previous efforts which is great to hear.

Stand out tracks on this album are album closer 'Hear my baby call' and 'Hot Coals' with its distinctly Yeah Yeah Yeahs influenced guitar riff coupled with the classic Cold War Kids sound.  'First' also deserves a mention due to its credible use of hand claps and its strong likelihood that it could appear as part of the closing credits on the next major indie romantic film to be released.

Like most Cold War Kids album releases, other than their first, there is little fanfare around this album besides the fact that the release was pushed back by a few months.  However, this is the way of Cold War Kids and that is why they are great.  They continue to make great, unique indie music for us to enjoy and long may they continue.

To find out more about Cold War Kids click here.

To visit the Cold War Kids Facebook page click here.

Words by Dominic Munden

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