Long Beach-based indie rock band Cold War Kids has returned with a new album, “Hold My Home.” This record comes only a year-and-a-half after 2013’s “Dear Miss Lonelyhearts,” a remarkably quick period to write and record an entire album.
The short time between the two albums has resulted in a relatively short album with only 11 tracks. When listening to “Hold My Home,” it’s evident Cold War Kids applied the theme of brevity and conciseness to everything involved with the release — each song is quintessential Cold War Kids power packed into four minutes or less.
As a whole, “Hold My Home” is appealing to the listener in that it sounds strikingly like a good U2 album. In the wake of U2 forcibly placing its newest release, “Songs of Innocence,” into Apple customers’ accounts, it’s no surprise this specification is necessary. Cold War Kids singer Nathan Willett gives off the same Bono-esque exuberance that can be heard in U2’s 1980 debut, “Boy.”
What brings listeners back to reality is how the album plays like any other Cold War Kids album. Each song is a dramatic, wildly emphatic anthem that calls back each previous album. “Hotel Anywhere” marks the middle of “Hold My Home” and proves itself worthy enough to be the album’s potential first single in the near future. The song is extremely fun and comes off sounding like a 1980s dance track with a hook suiting any road trip.
One of the album’s best features is Cold War Kids’ ability to call on itself to fill in the cracks between the songs. The sixth track, titled “Go Quietly,” sounds like it would be well placed in the band’s 2006 operatic debut, “Robbers and Cowards,” which gave fans such gems as “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “Hospital Beds.” The song’s chunky guitar rhythm and use of isolated singing give it the same stark resonance as an empty warehouse.
In comparison to other modern acts, “Hold My Home” allows Cold War Kids to reach the same level of artistry as Arctic Monkeys. The album sinks its hooks into listeners’ ears and lets them enjoy the ride. From the jangly, Coldplay-sounding opening guitar of “All This Could Be Yours” to the somber synth chords that close out “Hear My Baby Cry,” “Hold My Home” holds up against Cold War Kids’ solid repertoire of impressive albums.
Grade: 91/100