Review: Hellogoodbye - Would It Kill You?

There is nothing I love more than when bands grow up. With their second album, Hellogoodbye has done just that. In 2006, Hellogoodbye were signed to Drive Through Records, and bright-eyed, they released their first album, "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!," an auto-tuned, synth pop opus.

I was 14 at the time, and I immediately fell in love with the dorky band and upbeat songs. For two years, that CD was one of my favorites. And then, just as quickly as I had fallen in love, I fell out. I was sick of power pop, auto-tune, and cheesy lyrics. I was 16! Practically an adult! I couldn't be seen listening to this childish music! Hellogoodbye and I parted our ways.

But the split was not to last, as they released a three song EP, the Ukelele Recordings, with two new songs, and one Buddy Holly cover. Along with the EP, they announced a show at the Stone Pony, one of my favorite hangouts, with PlayRadioPlay, one of my favorite bands of the moment. The love affair was back on. So, excluding a few Hellogoodbye-deprived weeks, that band and I have grown up together. With their new release, "Would It Kill You?," the band has grown into a pure indie pop sound. In the past four years, the band has gone through a total lineup change, with Forrest, the lead singer, as the only original member left. And, Forrest got married to his longtime girlfriend.

That shows in all of the songs, the majority of which are about his wife in some capacity. The CD spills forth songs that, to me, sound like sitting on a beach in California in winter watching a meteor shower and then the sunrise. The opening song, "Finding Something To Do" is a fast-paced song about figuring out something to do when you've spent so much time with a person, and knowing you'll be spending the rest of your lives together. "When We First Met" is retrospective and just a very pretty song. "You Sleep Alone" is probably the most similar to their early works, which makes sense as it was the first written on the CD. An angry sing-along song, it's slowly becoming one of the most played on my iPod. My favorite song currently is "Coppertone," which was primarily written by the guitarist, and is this gorgeous song about doubt and love. Finally, the title song, "Would It Kill You?" explains the sound of the album better than any other explanation. A love song, but more to his art, Forrest asks himself if it would kill him just to let it all work out instead of obsessing and tweaking.

To be honest, this is one of my favorite albums of the year. There's no low point. It's just a special piece of music, and I know I won't be ashamed to listen to it in two years.