SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RAISED ON TV – STRANGERS IN PICTURES

Raised On TV
Strangers In Pictures
Sell The Heart Records

The latest album, Strangers In Pictures from Raised On TV, is a very calm and relaxing listen. It has some great moments, but there is nothing that remarkable about the album.

Many tracks, like “Strangers In Pictures”, have breezy surf-rock-inspired guitars that make you instantly think of summer or the beach. The explosive riff from “The Race” and the distorted and frantic riff from “Between Highs And Lows” are two of the best from the album. If indie pop rock is a genre you love, all three songs should be on your playlist as each one has incredibly groovy hooks.

“Losing My Mind” is my favorite track from the album. It is short, fast-paced, energetic, and has a fantastic guitar solo.

Unfortunately, the album plays it a bit too safe with its vocals and instrumentation. There is not much variety. The vocals seem to have the same dreamy reverb effect on every track. It is very interesting at the start of the album with “Around The Sun”, but it soon gets repetitive. Similar things can be said about the instrumentation. Nothing sets it apart from other bands in the genre, nor is there any track as memorable as some of their older tracks like “Caroline” or “Helium”.

Strangers In Pictures might not be the best indie pop rock album, but it is far from the worse.

Artist Links