Album Review: LVL UP - Return to Love
By Carter Hickman, Contributor
[Sub Pop; 2016]
Rating: 8/10
Key Tracks: "Pain," "The Closing Door," "Five Men on the Ridge"
The term "indie-rock" is typically thrown around very loosely, and usually seems too vague to describe any artist’s sound clearly. This is because the term “indie-rock” is rooted back to the ‘80’s, describing any rock music that wasn’t released by a major record label. It gradually switched from clarifying the way music was released, into a fairly open/confusing genre: slightly more experimental rock. Yet with such a wide range of sounds in this genre, there are still some albums that scream “indie-rock”. These albums have songs that sound like they came straight from the heart, recorded in a basement without a producer, and embody many of the characteristics of rock 'n roll. Return to Love, the newest record from LVL UP, is an album that fits in this category.
LVL UP is a four-piece indie-rock/bedroom pop band started at Purchase College in New York in 2011. Since their start, LVL UP has released two full lengths: 2011’s Space Brothers and 2014’s Hoodwink’d. Both of these albums are impressive and include a plethora of different types of styles of songs. With three vocalists and guitar tones that frequently switch from fuzzed-out power chords to reverb filled surf-rock inspired riffs, LVL UP showed they have a lot of unique sounds to offer. At the same time, no song in particular on these two records really sticks out, a problem that's fixed in Return to Love.
LVL UP tapped into their true potential on this album. From the opener, “Hidden Driver,” to the last track, “Naked in the River with the Creator,” every second sounds like LVL UP spent hours getting each instrument to sound exactly how they wanted. Each song on this album is much more dynamic and full than anything they have released before. The total package sounds heartfelt and professional, while keeping a dirty, fuzzy rock edge. This is especially apparent on “The Closing Door,” where heavy and loud overdrive-ridden chords are juxtaposed with gentle, melodic guitar riffs, swelling synth chords, and tender vocals. While this song is incredibly unique and interesting, the best song on the album is “Pain.” Previously, LVL UP had only two songs that breached three minutes in length. “Pain” is five and a half minutes long and builds from the beginning to the end, which features an incredibly sporadic guitar solo and even more sporadic drum fills.
While every song is enjoyable, some can be forgotten, just like a lot of their previous albums. “She Sustains Us” has a moderate tempo for the entirety of the song and drone-like guitar playing and singing. While the repeating synth line is neat, it’s not enough to make the song one to remember. “Blur” is another that doesn’t sound terribly original. It features whiny vocals singing about high school lovers and way too simple instrumentation. While these songs don’t add much, they also don’t subtract or take anything away from the rest of the album.
Overall, Return to Love is an incredibly impressive, emotional,and dynamic album that marks a big turning point for LVL UP’s careers and brings a unique sound to indie rock. Say goodbye to house shows LVL UP, you’re going to the big leagues (various House of Blues locations) now.
