1. Is This It - “We’re not enemies, we just disagree”; an interesting start to the album, sounds similar to what would be found closer to the end of most albums. Reminds me a lot of a conclusion, with the repetition of “is this it?” sounding so weary- so it being the starting track is different. 7/10 2. The Modern Age - “Start to pretend, stop pretending,” (isn’t that so real!!). Feels like the summer of 2020, not much else to say. Similar to “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees. 6.5/10 3. Soma - It’s alright. Having no personal experiences with drug addiction (Is that what he’s talking about?) I didn’t personally connect. 5/10 4. Barely Legal - “I should’ve worked much harder, I should’ve just not bothered,” (basically me?). I really like the conflict in the singer’s actions in this song. Plus the key change in the 2nd verse makes the song memorable. 7/10 5. Someday - “Promises, they break before they’re made,” I’ve actually heard this before!! Like the guitar and bass in this song. 6.5/10 6. Alone, Together - “He knows it’s justified to kill to survive / He then, in dollars, makes more dead than alive,” My favourite song on the album!! Has a more gritty and different sound compared to the rest of the songs on this album which I find a little plain. First guitar solo of the album too? Went hard. 8/10 7. Last Nite - Bit of a whimsy switch up after Alone, Together. It’s a nice song, don’t get me wrong, just not wholly memorable. 6/10 8. Hard To Explain - “I say the right thing but act the wrong way,” I like this song - again, a bit of a switch up in tone/key compared to the rest of the songs and style of singing, which i def prefer! A nice song, especially the end of each chorus where the singing speeds up. 6.5/10 9. New York City Cops - “Darling, I’m somewhere in between,” This reminded me that The Strokes are american (they feel like they should be british…). Like the bass line in this song even tho it simple. Sometimes traditional is best!! 6.5/10 10. Trying Your Luck - Can’t say much negative about this song; was surprised to see its C major key, it feels pretty minor, especially the whole “No harm, he’s armed(…)” bit - that’s js the way that it’s sung though I think, which i think is one of the best bits about the song. 7/10 11. Take It Or Leave It - Feels like this should be swapped with the opening track, but it makes the album more unique this way. The song is ok, nothing too interesting for my personal taste, apart from the “He’s gonna let you down (…) gonna win someday.” - this bit was a nice change from the rest of the song. Plus, 2nd guitar solo of the album!! Can’t go wrong. 6.5/10 Overall: This album was inoffensive. Not my personal music taste, I think - I do love indie music, but for me this album felt very same-y, with my highlights being Alone, Together and Barely Legal mostly because they escaped the framework that seems to make up most of the songs on this album. That said I can see why people would like this album - it’s definitely not bad. Overall rating: 6.5/10
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