With five albums and a Grammy nod under their belt, Southern rock four piece, NEEDTOBREATHE, are more than poised for dominance with their sixth release, Hard Love. Hard Love spans the length of twelve tracks (some would say the perfect length) and deftly explores genres ranging from soul, blues, pop and country.
Hard Love begins, surprisingly, like a James Blake X Kanye production. “Mountain Pt. 1” is shiny and floats expertly into the equally fascinating titular track,“Hard Love”. Sonically, and from a production standpoint, “Hard Love” is an appetizer to one of the album’s best, “Money & Fame”. Complete with a trumpet section and a buoyant chorus, “Money & Fame” demonstrates songwriting prowess further realized on the record.
Hard Love has moments of both weightlessness and gravitas, swinging expertly between the two while incorporating a whole host of genres. Emotional beats, like the album’s fourth track “No Excuses” and “Let’s Stay Home Tonight”, land quite convincingly as do the joyous, energetic missives like “Great Night”.
The boys truly impress on moments like “Don’t Bring That Trouble”--a song that is so unapologetically country, yet somehow manages to sit rather comfortably in the midst of an album that is spectacularly tinged with pop sensibilities.
NEETOBREATHE make a convincing argument for a great time on this record. One moment you’re firmly in southern rock territory and the next you find that you’ve been dropped squarely into cowboy country town. Excellent songwriting, irresistibly romantic themes, and great production make Hard Love a midsummer triumph.
Hard Love is out July 15th through Atlantic Records.
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