CD of The Week

The past two years have been surprisingly busy for Cold War Kids. Their last album, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, just came out in April of 2013. In July, frontman Nathan Willett and bassist Matt Maust (who are the only founding members of CWKs still in the lineup) released a side project called French Style Furs, with lyrics inspired by theologian Thomas Merton. However, immediately after its release, a new Cold War Kids album was announced! Hold My Home was released last week and shows the Kids further digging in to their instantly recognizable sound.

Hold My Home kicks off with the lead single “All This Could Be Yours,” a classic Cold War Kids tune full of pounding keys and Willett’s soulful voice. The opening guitar riff of “Hot Coals” reminds me of “Pin” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs slowed down ever so slightly. The booming, echoing “Hotel Anywhere” aims for Kings Of Leon-ish arena rock, with some cool ‘80s keyboard sounds in the mix. “Nights & Weekends” shows off Willett’s strength of being able to lyrically paint a great visual picture and set a scene. Other highlights include “First” and the title track.

That all being said, Hold My Home certainly doesn’t break any new ground for Cold War Kids and at this point in their career, we shouldn’t really expect them to. You know what you’re getting from the Kids, and while Hold My Home is a bit livelier than last year’s Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, it’s essentially just another respectable addition to the band’s catalog.