Overnight - Parachute

I discovered Parachute thanks to a high school friend telling me about their song, "Under Control", which at the time was the free song of the week on iTunes. Ever since, I've followed their career and releases with great interest. Their sophomore album, The Way It Was was leaps and bounds beyond their debut, Losing Sleep, with hits like "Kiss Me Slowly", "What I Know", and "Something To Believe In", among others. Leading up to the release of their latest music endeavor, Overnight, I watched the singles release, and was somewhat weary. They were definitely gravitating towards a more pop/electronic influenced sound, which was hardly a surprise and not a bad thing, but I had grown to love their acoustic-rock sound immensely. I began to warm up to it, however, when they released the last single until the album dropped, which was the song "Hurricane"; a song containing the heart and soul that made their previous records so relatable and enjoyable, yet featuring a more polished pop sound, full of synths and drum tracks and less guitars. They have always sung of love, and they it quite well, which is why I'm glad they continued to use it as their lyrical content. "Hurricane" is a more melancholy song, with Will Anderson singing sweetly of trying to forget a loved one whom was lost while the rest of the band backs his emotional vocals with a powerful and moving instrumental. The piano lines are my favorite instrumental parts, really embodying the emotion of the song and driving it home.

After hearing "Hurricane", I became much more excited for the album. When it released, and since then, I've been listening to it a lot on Spotify, and finding more and more things I enjoy about with every listen. Even though their singles reflected a more pop-oriented sound, their original acoustic-rock sound is definitely present on the album. Songs like "Waiting For That Call", for example, is an upbeat song filled with driving drums, rocking guitars, and even some of the new synth sounds. This song is the type that makes you want to dance around in your room with your friends, or go cruising around town on a bright summer day. It's definitely a fun song, which is something Parachute does well. Other songs from the album that follow in this upbeat vein are songs like "Can't Help", "Meant to Be", and "Didn't See It Coming". "Can't Help" reveals their influences, paying tribute to the the early sound of Maroon 5 with lots of piano, low key guitar, and a sharp drum beat leading the song. The vocals are really where the song shines, with Anderson slipping in and out of his fantastic falsetto and belting out all the lyrics wonderfully. "Meant To Be" opens the album with a groovin' guitar and a solid beat that expands into the driving, polished pop chorus, which easily makes the song one of my favorites from the record. It's the kind of song that makes you smile when you hear it; it's infectious with its warm nature. I'm a sucker for love songs, which is another reason that I really enjoy this song. "Didn't See It Coming" has a different sound than Parachute's norm; on the verses, Anderson begins each one by simply speaking instead of singing. It's not a rap in any sense, just spoken word. It's unusual for them, but it works really well with this song. It creates contrast, which you all know that I very much enjoy, between the sharpness of the verses with the speaking, and the more flowing nature of the chorus with the singing vocals. It's another favorite from the album, for me personally.

Now, as much as I like Parachute when they're upbeat, I also love their ability to slow things down and get very intimate. Songs like "Disappear" capture their full talent, in my opinion. It's an absolutely gorgeous song, with a simple piano line and acoustic guitar strumming accompanying Anderson as he sings in softer tones, hushed tones. This song is a stand out for the album, a divergence from the synths and drums and electric guitars. "Disappear" is the only song that brings the level of energy down so much, but they still are able to create an intimate sound with more instruments. Songs like "The Only One", which is a drum heavy song that is still able to come of as sorrowful, thanks to the vocals and the rest of the instrumental. Another song that follows in this vein is "The Other Side", in which the band slows things down and strips down the layers of instruments to a simple guitar and drums that steadily drive the song on. Both of these songs are able to turn down the high energy level found in the rest of the album and continue Parachute's beautiful ability to be intimate.

Now, there's two more tracks I want to mention (and incidentally, the only two tracks left on the album). One is "Overnight", the title track of the record, is an upbeat, yet regretful song of being unable to move on from a love lost. This is why I wanted to mention it, for the subject of getting over someone is used often, but I think "Overnight" does a good job at being fresh with something very common. This is another drum driven song as, with fast paced drums crashing and leading the song on despite the mournful lyrics. The other song that I want to mention is the album closer, "Higher", which is another example of where Parachute deviated from their normal sound. It shines during the chorus, which takes on a heavier sound thanks to the crashing, breakdown like drums. I know that it's not exactly what you'd normally associate with a hardcore breakdown, but for a band like Parachute, it has the feel of a breakdown. The song gets even better thanks the the bridge, which introduces gang vocals, another favorite of mine, and continues into the chorus, creating a huge sound that fills the room and an epic way for the album to end.

Despite my first impressions, (which are usually wrong), I came to very much enjoy this album. It's a natural progression in Parachute's sound, and a solid and well done album from an incredibly talented group. 4.5/5

Track-list:
Meant To Be - 3:25 (5/5)
Can't Help - 3:24 (4/5)
Drive You Home - 3:50 (4/5)
Hurricane - 4:11 (5/5)
Overnight - 4:13 (5/5)
Didn't See It Coming - 3:33 (5/5)
The Other Side - 3:48 (4/5)
Waiting For That Call - 3:16 (4/5)
The Only One - 3:56 (4/5)
Disappear - 4:05 (5/5)
Higher - 3:33 (5/5)