It’s been nine freaking years since The Jealous Sound’s critically acclaimed debut full-length Kill Them with Kindness topped end-of-year lists in 2003 and generally revealed for all the pointlessness of the word “emo” with its catchy, compelling pop-rock. About 16,000 musical micro-trends have come and gone since then, yet the band’s long, long, long-awaited follow-up sounds as if it could’ve been recorded and released a year after the touring cycle for Kindness ended.
A Gentle Reminder is a bit more sophisticated than its predecessor — it’s more layered and rhythmic in places (like the stunning “Change You” and “Equilibrium”), and takes a few more chances with song structure. The group is short a couple of the old members, too. But at its core, Reminder is firmly rooted in the same unique, poignant, yearning mix of Old Wave emotion and melody, crackling, dynamic indie guitar textures and memory-adhesive pop hooks that earned The Jealous Sound its legion of cult fans. The mix is just a bit more complex, ambitious and assured here, and many of the tracks best the material on Kindness as a result. Wherever gifted vocalist/primary songwriter Blair Shehan and co-founding guitarist Pedro Benito have been during the intervening years, their travels have brought them back around to the essence of their sonic identity, with amazing results. (Out Jan. 31 via Subjective Records)
