Cults
Static
Columbia
While it may not have the immediacy of their brilliant – and out-of-left-field – self titled debut, Cults’ noteworthy follow-up Static is still a better record than most. The Lo-Fi midnight musings of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion and the ’60s girl group sweetness of Follin’s vocals are both present and accounted for, as is the heart-aching beauty that their wonderfully simple indie pop songs evoke.
The pair didn’t veer off into any drastic detours of sound, which is even more remarkable considering the songwriting duo’s romantic breakup during the writing of the album. If anything, knowledge of the pair’s split only makes lyrics like “You and Me/ Always and Forever” (from “Always Forever”), and “There’s no one else for me/ There’s only you, my love” (from “We’ve Got It”) sound that much more bittersweet – a flavor that suits Static’s core vibe.
This push and pull, this should I stay/ should I go undercurrent works for Cults, so long as they can avoid the crash that often comes with the mingling of breakup tensions and making music together.
