Stereo Skyline “The Good Life”

 

Today’s Cool album of the Day (#712 in the Series) is Stereo Skyline, The Good Life

Stereo Skyline has evolved a lot over the past couple years – from synth-tapping electro-boppers to sickly sweet pop-rockers, they’ve mutated a little with every new release. After their bassist and guitarist departed last year, remaining members Kevin Bard and Rob Michelson went full speed ahead on releasing another full-length album. They dropped their first single last August, and The Good Life hit stores in full in November.

The Good Life is surprisingly similar to their last album, Stuck on Repeat, in that it still has the cutesy lyrics (especially evident in “Man I Think I Love Her” and “My Girl”) and traditional top-hits appeal. Yet, the duo also manages to keep ties to their first self-titled EP by integrating more electropop elements that first gained them fans (see “Unglued” and “Can’t Stop”). It’s easy to see the combination of past experience and new exploration in the new album, and they’re beginning to hit their stride in the music industry.

While the album is certainly catchy and an easy listen, Stereo Skyline still misses the mark a few times: the entire record is only ten songs, with less than half crossing the three minute mark. They made the same mistake with Stuck On Repeat (nine songs, and that’s including a cover) and I’m always reluctant to buy music that won’t deliver a bang for my buck. Also, while the lyrics are well sung, their originality is lukewarm at best. This is mostly due to the fact each song has similar subject matter – girls, whether gaining or losing them – but cliché is something you will stumble upon at least once during every song.

Despite this, The Good Life is definitely a great summer album that you’ll keep in your car for long drives down to the beach. Most tracks work well for party playlists and mixtape-making. Fair warning: each song will get stuck in your head at least once, and I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to get rid of it.

— MacKenzie Hall (Follow Mackenzie – @hallformusic ) 

Track Listing

1. Man I Think I Love Her
2. Kiss Me In the Morning
3. My Girl
4. That Everything
5. Sorry I Stole Your Girlfriend
6. Unglued
7. Why Not
8. Can’t Stop
9. Interlude
10. More Than You Know

Personnel

Links