Wintersleep – Hello Hum album review

Just when you feel like all musical acts and bands seem hopeless, underrated bands like Wintersleep come along and reevaluate your previous assumption.

Canadian indie rock band, Wintersleep, formed in 2001, where music was—and still is—predominately teen pop, dance pop and bubblegum pop. The fact that this band as well as other rock and indie rock bands can survive in this bubbly musical era is a feat on its own.

Their fifth studio album, Hello Hum, exemplifies the use of vocal harmony and major key tonality. There is no noticeable difference between this album and their previous albums like their self-titled, “Wintersleep” and “Welcome to the Night,” except their more pronounced use of the acoustic guitar and incorporation of the accordion for a more folk-indie sound.

However, “Hello Hum,” has its fluctuations between a mellow sound and a more hard rock base. Songs that pronounce their mellowness are “Saving Song,” and “Smoke.” The slow rhythmic beats of the drums and guitar alongside the one key vocal tones gives these songs a headnodic feel, while still making them pleasant to jam to. The duality in their musical style is apparent in songs like “Resuscitate,” “Rapture,” and “In Came the Flood.” The loud drum pounding and guitar strums are generally not typical of an indie rock band, but Wintersleep makes it work to their advantage.

One thing that stays true and unchanged about Wintersleep is their vocals. Lead singer, Paul Murphy and backing vocals, Jon Samuel keep a consistent rhythm with monotonic vocals in, what I feel is an attempt to accentuate their lyrical purpose and different incorporation of instruments.

Wintersleep is highly underrated, but; unfortunately, that is to be expected in an era where meaningless lyrics, computer-generated sounds, and; in truth, zero talent reign supreme. I highly encourage you to take a listen to raw talent when the opportunity is available.