Album Review: Bring The Hoax – Single Coil Candy

Fun, experimental, power-pop

Single Coil Candy, the first full-length release by Stockholm-based indie rock band Bring The Hoax is relatively underground, with the album’s lead single having only received eight thousand streams on Spotify two weeks post-release. Bring The Hoax’s obscurity is a shame – with a dynamic mix of musical styles, the band has a strong concept that they lean into earnestly (if not always successfully).

Bring The Hoax market themselves as a “rowdy, yet polished” combination of 80s-inspired power pop and traditional indie rock. Upon listening to the album, these influences are immediately obvious. “Los Angeles,” the opening track, begins with a heavy, pop punk guitar and thrumming, crunchy bass, offset almost jarringly by Karl Nordahl’s soft indie vocals. “Jonestown” flips the script, with growly rock vocals set over a more classically indie backing. As the songs progress, the guitar wanders between power chords and echoey harmonies as though quite unsure of itself, trying combination after combination in search for the perfect balance of genres. 

Some elements work better than others. Nordahl’s voice is faint and slightly raspy, more suited to soft shoegaze vocals; his heavier singing often gives off a garage rock vibe. The rare guitar solo is a welcome flair, but the rhythm section sounds far better when played in a softer style rather than pounding out repetitive, tedious rock’n’roll beats. This stylistic experimentation runs throughout the album, at times with the slightly awkward air of a band trying to find their sound. When Bring The Hoax hits their stride however, the payoff is well worth it. 

Sometimes, Bring The Hoax’s balance of power pop and indie rock lands them in midwest emo territory, as in “Singles.” Other times, the album churns into moody, almost gothic pop punk, as in “Down Below” or “1993.” While the band does a good job executing these sounds, their best songs come when they find their own, original niche. The thrum of heavy guitar under otherwise soft instrumentation makes “Lighthouse” an incredibly satisfying listen and the summery, road-trip feeling of “Burn the Sky” finds the intersection between power pop and indie that Bring The Hoax seems to be searching for, capturing the best that both genres share: a nostalgic energy, classic rock’s insistence tempered perfectly by contemplative indie riffs.

Single Coil Candy is too straightforward to feel artsy and too complicated to feel mainstream, hitting a medium that’s awkward at its worst, but lots of fun when done right. The album doesn’t always fulfill Bring The Hoax’s vision, but has obvious potential and enough fun, 80s kick to skim listeners past the less-successful experiments. Single Coil Candy is the perfect name for this new album, heaviness and sweetness intermingling into something that, while a little clunky, is all the more endearing for it.