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Hearts on Parade
American Hi-Fi
Maverick
Four years ago American Hi-Fi’s catchy hit single “Flavor of the Week” was everywhere. You couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing the song, and the band seemed poised to carry the mantle of the kings of soft punk. However, their follow up album “The Art of Losing” failed to secure any hit songs and the band slipped away into irrelevance. Now, the band looks to regain it’s lock on CD players of teenagers across the country with the release of their new CD next month, “Hearts on Parade.”
The first thing that is notably evident upon listening to the first three tracks is the band has not seemed to mature much since the release of their debut album. Their sound is still very similar as well as the cliched and tired themes of girls and relationships. That said, the album is thoroughly enjoyable, if mostly as a guilty pleasure.
The CD kicks off with “Maybe Won’t Do,” which sets the theme of the album: girls. While the lyrics are nothing special and the message trite, the band is able to overcome this with a catchy chorus, which seems to be a reoccurring issue throughout the album. While most of the songs lack real substance, this is made up with acoustically pleasing bridges and choruses.
The next song, “Hell Yeah!”, is another shallow song with near-inept lyrics that is only salvaged by the songs ability to grab the listener’s attention and keep them entertained. The chorus of this song is a good example of the triviality of many of the songs: “Hell yeah, so young and fine – Could she be the one my baby – I’m gonna make her mine – At least for tonight.” Not exactly awe inspiring poeticism, but then again this is a punk album, so the band can get away with it.
The third track and the first single from the album, “Geeks Get the Girls,” seems to be cut from the same vein as “Flavor of the Week,” and the auditory resemblances are more or less uncanny. Once you get past this fact, the song is just as catchy and memorable as its predecessor. While the former was about a loser boyfriend who didn’t appreciate his girlfriend, “Geeks Get the Girls” is a fictional tale of a night when geeks around the world go home with hot girls. The lyrics ring true and the song is just as catchy as “Flavor of the Week” and could be the song that helps propel American Hi-Fi back to the top of the charts.
After the high-powered and explosive start to the album, it starts to slow down a bit after the first three songs. Although the songs are still punk rock, they are a bit softer. “Something Real” starts off as an acousticpiece, reminiscent of the band’s older and mildly popular “Perfect Day.” The song is one of the standout tracks on the album, and while it may not be as instantaneously appealing as some of the earlier songs, but is just as entertaining.
The last few of the tracks are some of the weaker ones on the album, as it seems like the band was just trying to fill out an album at that point. They would have been wise to leave them off, but then the album would have been a little too short.
For the most part, “Hearts on Parade” is worth a listen, while it is by no means a classic, if you are a fan of the punk rock style of music then this should hold your attention for awhile and the first three songs are reason enough to listen.
-Matt Kearney
