Why We Run - Holograms

Bleiben wir noch ein wenig in Australien. Das mag sich vor einigen Jahren auch der Belgier Nic Cogels (Gesang, Gitarre) gedacht haben, als es ihn nach Sydney verschlug. Dort traf er auf Nick Langley (Gitarre) sowie die beiden Prescott-Brüder Ed (Schlagzeug) und Lloyd (Bass, Keyboards), und gründete mit ihnen die Band Why We Run.

Mit "Holograms" veröffentlicht das Quartett nun sein Debütalbum, das beim australischen Rolling Stone minimal besser abschneidet, als das gestern vorgestellte "Sirens" von Ben Abraham (3 Sterne im Gegensatz zu 2,5):

On first listen, this Sydney band's debut has all the right things in all the right places. It's cohesive and well-polished, their sound comprised of driving drums, dreamy echo vocals, measured keys and introspective guitar. It's uncrowded and the kind of record you want to listen to on a Sunday. What you might not be ready for is finding yourself haunted by the tick-tock chimes and lilting vocals of "Hallway", the perpetual motion of "A Moment to Return" and the atmospheric grit of "Comfortable Lie". On "Where I'll be Waiting" it feels like they're just getting started, and it's this thoughtful tempering of restrained release that Why We Run do best.  

Der melodisch-verträumte Indiepop von Why We Run, der Freunden von Death Cab For Cutie, Athlete, Girls In Hawaii oder Tears For Fears gefallen könnte, ist wirklich nicht zum Fortlaufen, daher noch eine deutlich begeisterte Plattenkritik:

Holograms is full of memories in which a melancholic cloud hovers above the album. The sadness is not so much remorse or regret but just reflection of what happened and what did not. While the introspective nature of the album is akin to The National’s brooding indie rock, sonically Why We Run combine the cinematic rock of Local Natives with the prog-rock vibes of bands like The Amazing to create a sound that is immensely intimate, at times sensual, and always breathtaking.

The Sydney-based quartet’s artistry is best displayed on “Where I’ll Be Waiting”, which takes the blissful towards the euphoric. “A Moment to Return” is a shimmering, uplifting track that gives the feeling of coming home and seeing loved ones for the first time in ages. “Hologram”, meanwhile, displays the Why We Run’s ability to take a solemn and retrospective song and turn it into something exhilarating.

“Air Between Us” and the slow building “Hallway” offer two additional songs of love and separation. Founded in the sounds of the ’80s, the two songs further evidence the band’s ability to create songs that are not only auditory stimulating but incite vivid images in your mind. On “All You Ever Wanted” and “Comfortable Lie”, Why We Run can take even the most apprehensive moments and make them sound blissful and even hopeful. Call it naïve optimism or false hope, this is a young band that will not let even the most dire of moments to bring them down.

This last statement may be the biggest takeaway from Holograms – that no matter the circumstances there is always hope and the possibility of a miracle, as the band sings on “Where I’ll Be Waiting”. The album, itself, may have been a miracle for Why We Run, who worked diligently over two-and-a-half years to share their debut. It is no wonder they have given us a stunning album, one that for many will be the new soundtrack of their lives.

(The Revue)

"Holograms" kann als digitaler Downoad oder als CD (hier) käuflich erworben werden.