Headlights Go Head On with Sophomore Slump
And race right through it with a <i>Some Racing, Some Stopping</i>.
Headlights
Some Racing, Some Stopping
Released on Nov 30, -0001
From the first notes of the opening track “Get Yer Head Around It,” listeners know that this is a new, more assured stage for the Champaign trio. After being on the road for nearly three years and putting out plenty of material, including their first studio effort, Kill Them With Kindness, fans feared that they would burn themselves out before reaching their potential.
Perhaps they realized that themselves. Instead of maintaining their nomadic lifestyle, they retreated to a farmhouse on their home base to record a much more cohesive follow-up. Gone is the frantic pace of old favorites like “TV” and “Put Us Back Together Right.” Some Racing, Some Stopping introduces a relaxed sound for Headlights - one that showcases the ethereal voices of Erin Fein and Tristan Wraight, rather than making them struggle to be heard over the instrumentation.
Fein and Wraight normally alternate lead vocals on the tracks, but it’s when their voices blend that listeners begin to hear the full potential of this pairing. “School Boys” and “Catch Them All” showcase the beautiful harmonies that these two can make together. However, when one of them takes the lead, the results are just as charming. “Cherry Tulips,” which is a bubbly, airy song that is perfect for Fein’s voice, is one of the standout tracks on the album. It’s exactly the kind of song we need as the snow finally begins to melt and we begin to thaw out ourselves.
The entire album clocks in at just less than 35 minutes, and their music flourishes under this more focused and easygoing kind of format. Rather than scramble to utilize every instrument possible, they seem comfortable with where they are as musicians and the sound they’ve created. Judging from this release, that sense of comfort has prevented Headlights from falling into a sophomore slump.
High Point
Low Point
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on Feb 22, 2008 @ 12:00 am