Raise Hell

Fresh

Raise Hell

(Get Better) 

I’ve often wondered why the search for new music has been such an important part of my life, and though I don’t really ever find a satisfactory answer, I think the biggest part is to find a way to capture and keep capturing that initial joy of discovery that comes with finding music at a young age.  It’s like an eternal search for youth.  I know that there are a few releases every year where a big part of their appeal to me is from the artist’s high energy alone.  Speaking of energy, the aptly named Fresh released their third album, Raise Hell, last month and I’m pretty excited about it.

My summer of 2019 was pretty well dominated by their last LP, Withdraw.  I fed into the pop hooks, the youthful energy of the performances, and especially the frank words (mostly about low self-esteem) and vocals Kathryn Woods.  I don’t know, it boosted me.  It was refreshing to hear twelve songs in under 30 minutes that are not all identical.  I’ve listened to it endlessly and have had each song as a favorite at different points in time.  Their second album was them finding their voice.  It is a marked improvement on their debut, as it claims their own territory and stands out as unique.

 Not sure if I had any expectations for the new album.  Gone, for me, are those days of high expectations of bands and then harshly judging them on the actual results.  Nowadays I prefer to just wait and see.  I liked their singles leading up to Raise Hell, and I can announce that there’s nothing super different here, yet it’s still a blast to listen and often!  They are a band that puts together songs that feel effortless in the sense that they can go all kinds of different directions and it all sounds right.  Plus, they play with such gusto, it is addictive.

The opener, “Our Love,” is a slow builder that utilizes a similar keyboard sound to The Kinks’ nostalgic elegy “Come Dancing” from 1982, before heading into becoming  a full-on rousing number.  The pre-LP single, “Morgan & Joanne,” pops up next and I dare one to not get this tune about a relationship that is doomed from the get go, stuck in their head.  For the real highlight comes at track four, “Going to Bed.”  It opens quietly, befitting the title, but quickly turns into a pseudo-ska jaunty pop classic, complete with horn section, that sounds as fresh to me now as the old 2 Tone stuff did 40 years ago.  For some reason, the wonderful chorus in the round makes me think of The Rifles at their best.  What a great song!

This album isn’t as starkly as dramatic lyrically as Withdraw, but the breezy sounding “Fuck Up” and the vulnerable “Deer in the Headlights” show that a mental health break might still be needed.  I could easily see any of these songs becoming huge hits, but in a good way, like “hey look at that indie rock band on tv!”  The recording is excellent as well, I love how many songs have a soloing guitar slotted to the left a bit, kind of like a Dinosaur Jr. song.

This kind of music feeds my soul and keeps me going.  When I listen, I feel like jumping around.  I no longer ever feel young anymore, but it does get me out of bed.

(https://freshpunks.bandcamp.com/album/raise-hell)

 

Fresh "Going to Bed: