Written by Jennifer Moglia
Ontario, Canada-based pop-punk band Bearings is back with their highly anticipated second full-length album, “Hello, It’s You.” Preceded by short EPs 2015’s “Higher Ground”, 2016’s “Home Is…”, 2017’s breakthrough “Nothing Here is Permanent” and their first LP, 2018’s “Blue in the Dark”, the band had been teasing a fresh, unique sound on this project, and they certainly delivered.
The album opens with “Better Yesterday”, serving as a title track of sorts with the opening line of the chorus, “Hello, it’s you / Little red dress, what’s your name?” This song definitely does a great job of setting the tone for the remainder of the tracklist, introducing a more pop-leaning sound with bouncy guitars and fun melodies.
Up next is “Sway”, the lead single, released in early September. When this dropped, I called it the band’s best song to date, and that claim still holds true for the most part; the lead and backup vocals blend together perfectly, bringing tongue-in-cheek lyricism to life over memorable basslines.
The second single to come out of this record, “Super Deluxe” is a heavy-hitter, one of the most fun tracks sonically on the record. On first listen, it reminded me of Waterparks’ “Easy to Hate” off of their most recent album, 2019’s “Fandom”; both tracks became quick favorites for me from their respective albums.
“So Damn Wrong” and “I Feel it All” were released in tandem a little over a year ago, on the first day of Bearings’ North American tour supporting Grayscale with Rich People. While, admittedly, both tracks had left my rotation since they first dropped, their inclusion on this record breathes new life into them, making them feel brand new once again.
If there’s a moment to take a breath on this rollercoaster ride of an album, it would be “Lovely Lovely.” The dreamy, stripped-down sounds of acoustic guitars accompanied by cheesy lines about learning to accept love makes for a sweet alternative to the cliche “slow song.”
Things pick back up on “Love Me Like You Did”, where drummer Mike McKerracher takes center stage, pulling together a classic powerhouse pop-rock tune. The line “I know I left my heart under your bed” is a favorite for sure, doing what Bearings does best in creating imagery to match a song’s theme.
“Over Now” is the song that I think would translate best to a live setting off of this record, reminiscent of the crowd favorites on “Blue in the Dark.” Vocalist Dougie Cousins’ growth is evident for sure, at its best here but present throughout the project.
The biggest change sonically occurs on “Dreams”, a track heavily-influenced by trap and hip-hop, something totally new for this band. It definitely won’t be for everyone, and I get a sense that you’ll either absolutely love it or completely hate it, but I give a lot of credit to the band for taking that step in a different direction and experimenting.
The record closes with “Transient Colours”, in my opinion the strongest song on the album, both lyrically and instrumentally; it reminded me of some of my earliest favorites by them like “Hollow” and “Makeshift”, but with a more mature twist. The lyrics convey a strong message about being connected to someone for life through shared memories, and listeners will feel like they’re going through the same changes that Cousins is due to the tenacity and passion in his vocal delivery.
While the EPs and “Blue in the Dark” will always be special to fans of Bearings, “Hello, It’s You” is a huge step up for them musically. Their youthful pop-punk sound is polished and perfected, the same heartfelt, personal themes conveyed with more maturity.
“Hello, It’s You” is available to stream wherever you listen to music, and you can support Bearings by picking up some merch and following them on Twitter @BearingsBand. If you listened to this album, let us know what you think by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!