{"id":22845,"date":"2023-10-12T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T05:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/addtowantlist.com\/?p=22845"},"modified":"2023-10-10T21:43:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T19:43:59","slug":"new-album-the-young-hasselhoffs-dear-departed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/addtowantlist.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/12\/new-album-the-young-hasselhoffs-dear-departed\/","title":{"rendered":"New album: The Young Hasselhoffs || Dear Departed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Young Hasselhoffs (Omaha, Nebreska) are one of those bands I know from name only, and don’t recall ever giving a listen or at least a fair chance to make an impression. The main reason I checked out the band’s newest offering Dear Departed<\/em>, the band’s fifth full length in their 25 year career as a band, is that Josh Rutledge wrote a rave review<\/a> of the record. I guess I needed the endorsement from a trusted sense of ears to finally open up to The Young Hasselhoffs, and wow, what an amazing pop punk record Dear Departed<\/em> is. While thinking about and listening to the record, my keyboard wants me to type words about the band’s mature sound, or how this band have aged gracefully. But that neither cuts it nor does it do justice to the quality of the songwriting. Dear Departed<\/em> is a super accessible record with a smooth production, but what really stands out is the songs. Let’s highlight a few. The title track is pop punk bliss, and Hold Me Now<\/em> is about as perfect opener of the record. It showcases all of the strengths of The Young Hasselhoffs: amazing melodies, dynamic build ups, sweet harmonies and hooks that hit their mark. How rewarding is the moment when after 35 seconds the chorus breaks in Enjoy Your Part<\/em>? And the harmonies in songs like You Belong To Me<\/em> and McKibben’s Grove<\/em> would have made John, Paul, George and Ringo proud.<\/p>\n

This is still very much a pop punk record at heart, but it won’t break any speeding laws, won’t offend or scare people away. Dear Departed<\/em> is a welcoming record that has a replayability factor that is atypically high. It’s out now on CD and LP at Mom’s Basement Records.<\/p>\n