Release Date: June 7, 2011
Look how much fun the two are having on the cover of this record. Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion are dancing, whipping hair and letting go with reckless abandon on this, their self-titled debut for Columbia. The band knew what they were doing with the timing of this record. The beginning of summer is the perfect time for a simple, sweet, melodic and overall very fun record. Cults is all of those things, and reveals itself as being a record you can put on when getting together with friends for a barbecue or laying in bed at night staring up at the stars.
Cults is a nostalgic throwback to oldies pop radio, but with the knowledge of modern indie pop informing the songwriting. Although maybe unintentional, the beginnings of “Abducted,” “Go Outside” and “Oh My God” have somewhat muffled words spoken underneath the opening chords; it’s almost as if people are sitting around a record player, holding discussions. It’s these types of anachronisms that make this seem like more than just a simple pop record.
Tonally, however, the record is pretty simple. The timbre and range of the songs is not that wide. Yes, each song is distinct with its own hook—the syncopation of “Never Saw The Point,” the shuffling piano of “Bad Things” but to look at the sonic structure of these songs graphed out, you would probably see a fairly straight line. Take, for example, “Most Wanted” compared to “Bumper.” From the get-go the two are almost indistinguishable: simple pop drumming and sweetly cooed lyrical delivery at about the same tempo and cadence.
“Oh My God,” which was released as a single last summer, remains the strongest songs on Cults. Follin’s declaration of “Please don’t tell me you know the rules to my life/I can run away and leave you anytime” rings so true and offers empowerment on every repeated listen.
The moments on the record that really stand out are when the songs begin to pick up a little more momentum and the line of the graph spikes and falls.
Times like when Oblivion steps on the distortion pedal and really starts to chug out a driving riff. Or when everything fades except an echoing vocal line and then the full band comes crashing back together. Or when Follin really opens up her vocal chords to belt out a chorus.
The record ends with “Rave On,” which begins with an acoustic guitar and then busts out in a group singalong with the refrain “Rave on! Rave on!” Again, this is a throwback to a music as a more social structure. Whereas earlier on the album there are people talking around a record player, here everyone is out at the bar, celebrating a hard day’s work, arms slung around one another’s shoulders and using music as a cathartic release and a reason to keep partying.
This is a fun romp., like a summer romance. But for as much as Cults hearken classic pop tropes and synthesize them into an indie voice, it may not be something that will stick around. People may look back fondly on this, and it will hopefully be a great launch pad for Cults to do bigger and better things on future releases. For now, though, it’s just something simple record made by people who are just interested in having fun and paying tribute to the things they like.
Cults Tracklist:
- “Abducted”
- “Go Outside”
- “You Know What I Mean”
- “Most Wanted”
- “Walk At Night”
- “Never Heal Myself”
- “Oh My God”
- “Never Saw The Point”
- “Bad Things”
- “Bumper”
- “Rave On”
