Review Summary: +44's debut When Your Heart Stops Beating is a great, fun album that, although won't accidentally change the world, but can easily stand on its own two feet.
Before I proceed with this review I need to get one thing across; blink-182 were the most influential band of my youth. So my expectations on any post-blink band were always going to be high. That is why I was genuinely surprised myself when I grew to love +44's When Your Heart Stops Beating.
With +44, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker seem to bring along with the little of bit of pop-punk-ness that have made them back in the day but, at the same time, bring to the table a touch of electronica and more that allows for no one to have solid ground to stand on and call them blink-182 take two. Don't get me wrong, +44 will never take blink-182 place but for now, and just temporarily, they can fill the place that has been missing for far too long. Straight-up, the first track of the album Lycanthrope is an instant hit that holds no prisoners. Fast, quick-tempo, with Hoppus' vocals thrusted into action, this song will get you off you moving. The addition of backing vocals really work well for the song. Though it's an insult, this song and the title track to me feel the most like the blink of old. The title track itself, When Your Heart Stops Beating, is another go-getter and really shows who of the two blink members had the superior vocals.
From there on in, the album seems to be inhibited by the abundance of slow-to-mid paced songs clamped together. Furthermore the album seems to progressively slow down, and though there is nothing wrong with that, the fact the opening track and first single are fast and hard-hitting, questions of the album's direction are raised. To add to the confusion the two of the last three tracks, both slower, are exceptional. First there is No It Isn't, the song that leaked last year to give us the first taste of +44. The intro to this song is soft and subtle and along with Hoppus', now beloved, vocals progress into what is heartfelt song, particularly the fact that it's all about the blink-182 break up. The evolution of the drumming throughout the song is further evidence to the many claims of Travis Barker as one the greatest drummers. Then there is Make You Smile, a duet between Hoppus and ex-member Carol Heller. Heller's vocals in tandem with Hoppus' are truly a delight to listen to. The back-and-forth lyrics are fun to follow with and will defintely bring a smile to your face, as the song title suggests.
To be honest, I probably won't still be still listening this album in five years. And Hoppus and Barker are definitely not going to be known the members of +44 instead blink-182 twenty years from now. Nevertheless, +44's debut When Your Heart Stops Beating is a great, fun album that, although won't accidentally change the world, but can easily stand on its own two feet.
