The American band Spanish Love Songs‘ previous works had been considered a mixture of punk with alternative. Their titles also expressed some anger and misunderstood feelings. However, this time around, they have changed dramatically.
Leaving aside noisy guitars and rapid drumbeats from before, No Joy, release today, August 25, brings an aura between nostalgia and emotion. It feels like they have evolved completely the direction of their music. Their new addition for the album that stands out the most is probably relaying on classical music sounds to start the songs. Plus, complementing the melody with indie rock ballads and strong vocals.
In “Lifers”, Slocum (frontman) voice range goes well with the Chellos that mark a start of the album. This first track can be perceived as a warm and touching opening. Also, the guitar sequences are what tells that the melody will turn into an indie rock song. As the record continues, “Pendulum” has a gloomy vibe and it’s probably the tune that will set the main concept theme. The mention of the album’s name occasionally is what allows to understand better the main musical thought.
“Marvel” and “Haunted” have a new wave-ish entrance symphony that rapidly progresses into what it feels like a 2000’s alternative rock song. The acoustic guitar blended with the effects of the keyboard set a steady beat. This mixture of genres fit quite well in terms of experimentation. In addition, they do not go with a specific music pattern or structure when it comes to bridges. Either they are too severe or unhurried at all. Examples of slow tunes are “Middle of Nine” and “Exit Song”.
Also, in visual terms, “Haunted” music video sums up pretty what the song is about. It tells the story of a foreign woman who joins what it seems to be a country party. Feeling all out of place, lonely, and misunderstood because of her looks, she starts listening patiently to what the band was playing. Throughout the tune, she realizes she’s not haunted, she just misses everything. Creatively speaking, the set and characters played were a good analogy to the message.
Watch the music video for “Haunted” below.
The honesty in each track is what preserves the distinctive musical feature of the band. As mentioned before, the record per se diverges from what we are used to listen from Spanish Love Songs, nevertheless, the change made was greatly done. They achieved to keep some of their essence, but also gave them a space to experiment.
