This Century has always been a band about relationships, girls, and love; this new album is no exception. Titled Biography of Heartbreak, this record is the same message This Century has been putting out since they began, just wrapped in a different package. Their shift towards a more hevaily pop-influenced sound is no surprise, and is fitting for them. Guitars are mostly replaced with synths, although not completely removed. The drumset is replaced by electronic beats. The vocals are much the same as they've always been. Their vocalist, Joel Kanitz, strays much more towards the smooth side than on the last album, where he got gritty at points; beyond that, however, it feels no different than before.
The album alternates between the upbeat, pop-anthems that feel good on a Friday night and the more relaxed and heartfelt songs. It serves as a nice mix, flowing from songs like "Bleach Blonde", a polished summer jam to songs like "Tip Toe", an acoustic guitar and drumset led piece of reminiscing and delicacy. The contrast between these two songs alone is fantastic, with the difference in moods, instrumentation, and pace makes for a great listening experience. Some songs like "Slow Dance Night" combine elements of both of these kind of songs, employing a pop sounding electric guitar riff, electronic beats, and some heavy synths, but still maintaining that heartfelt attitude and warming lyrics. It opens the album and sets a great bar, possibly being my favorite off the album. The other song that comes close is "Skeletons", a beat driven electro-pop gem. The verses are mellow and chilled out, but the chorus' kick it up a notch with some guitar and smashing beats. I also absolutely love the vocals, which are the highlight of the song. Kanitz's voice soars over the rest of the song; it's beautiful. Another song where his voice is stellar is "Fool's Game", a synth and guitar covered blast. His when he hits the falsetto on the chorus, it makes the song fantastic. I also really love the vibe of the song overall; it's upbeat and catchy, but the mood is a little darker than some of the other tracks on the album.
The more heartfelt songs on the album all tend to be perfect sounding for rainy day weather. "Footsteps" is a perfect example of this, with an acoustic guitar quietly imitating the rain behind layers of synth and beats. The lyrics and vocals make this song a true beauty, and push it more towards the melancholy side as Kanitz croons about how he misses the one he loves. This follows in the same vein of "Forbidden", a song of restricted love and the pain it causes. It's more beat driven and synth heavy than "Footsteps, but still comes out with the same rainy day vibe. However, not everything is overcast; there are some great summer sunny day anthems on the record, such as "Love Killer" with it's cries of "La, la la la la love killer". The mood is bright and you cannot help but smile. It's cheery, but not in a way that makes you want to turn it off or skip it. This is similar to the vibe inspired by "Run and Hide", which takes a reggae style guitar strum and adds loving words and synth to create the perfect song for a couple in love.
This was a solid effort from This Century. They stayed consistent throughout the album, with nothing feeling out of place in the slightest. They also created very distinct songs, that each tell their own story and create their own life. It's an awesome piece of shining pop-rock. I genuinely enjoyed each song on the track; nothing disappointed my ears. Good work boys! 5/5
Track-list:
Slow Dance Night - 3:10 (5/5)
Love Killer - 3:38 (4/5)
Bleach Blonde - 3:22 (5/5)
Tip Toe - 3:25 (5/5)
My Weakness - 2:50 (4/5)
Run and Hide - 3:38 (5/5)
Footsteps - 4:09 (5/5)
Skeletons - 4:01 (5/5)
Forbidden - 3:31 (5/5)
Sideways - 3:44 (4/5)
Fool's Game - 3:28 (5/5)
Biography of Heartbreak - 4:11 (4/5)
Deadly Weapon - 3:55 (5/5)
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