Melodic, entracing, forlorning – The Umbrellas’ sophomore album Fairweather Friend is packed full of indie bangers. Its slimmed down tracklist, standing at ten tracks and 34 minutes, comes just as fast as it goes.
The lead single and opener, “Three Cheers!”is pure bliss, and all about accepting and then forgetting the negativities life has to offer: “Lining up for the guillotine / Rolling trees, oh how obscene! / Hip hip hooray! It’s a parade.” The harmonized group vocals on the chorus are incredibly fun, and the chaotic drumming just adds to the carefree energy. Throughout the album, like on “Three Cheers!,” The Umbrellas switch between male and female lead vocals, creating a playful, collaborative energy. This is best displayed on standout track “Echoes,” where female lead-vocalist Morgan Stanley sings the heightened chorus and verses, and male lead singer Matt Ferrara sings the mellower bridge section. However, Stanley’s vocals are a bit stronger throughout the album’s runtime. “Toe the Line,” sung by Ferrara, is loud, aggressive, and wonderful live material, but the singing is a bit undercooked and underproduced compared with the rest of the tracks here.
The high speed tempos and catchy melodies continue on “Games” and “Gone.” “Blue” is also an incredibly catchy track, though slowed down a bit. It is melancholic, dreamlike, and beautiful, featuring some picked guitar sections between verses and hypnotic backing vocals on the chorus. It transitions wonderfully into the jangly closer “P.M.,” which picks up the energy with some electric guitars and a fast drum beat.
The Umbrellas know their way around a good melody, and are great at creating straightforward rockers. What Fairweather Friend lacks is diversity. The song writing is conventional and straight-to-the-point, and the instrumental palettes stick to the same script. Not to mention, all of the tracks here are around three-minutes long. The Umbrellas are playing it close to the vest in terms of structures and songwriting, and keeping themselves close to what they know. Fairweather Friend, ultimately, could use a leap of faith.
Leave a Comment