Cartel – Collider
Review by Jennifer Boylen
I always get anxious when a band I enjoy is releasing a new album. The possibility that I may hate something I want to love more than anything is always scary. I’ve been a Cartel fan for years so I was in that mind set, but my fear quickly subsided when I started playing Collider. It may be new but it is still Cartel. I haven’t stopped playing this record for days and I don’t think that is going to change anytime soon.
I’m not sure if I can truthfully and whole-heartedly pick one favorite track off Collider. I love “Universal Tide” for the attitude and raw sound to it. “Uninspired” is a song I find myself singing along to with out fail. Obviously, title track “Collider” is absolutely perfect from start to finish, but it would be too easy to pick that as my favorite, plus I am sort of head over heels for all 11 tracks; but “First Things First” may still take the cake. It’s just a song everybody needs to hear sometimes. It’s one of those ‘life is tough but you’ve got this’ anthems. Some musicians can’t really pull them off. More often than not these kinds of songs sound cheesy but Cartel’s is anything but. It’s genuine and honest and definitely one of my favorites on the record.; if I had to chose one, that would be it.
This album doesn’t have tons of variety to the point where it doesn’t make sense, but every song stands on it’s own while still contributing to a release that feels like it is actually meant to fit together. Some songs are old school, upbeat Cartel, while others are more aggressive and rebellious. It’s all I could of hoped for from Collider and it’s definitely one of my favorites at the moment.
Overall Rating: 5/5
Recommended Tracks: “First Things First” & “Collider”
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