By Jase Walker
Has it really been fifteen years since Hundred Reasons last dropped an album? I can’t shake off the feeling of actually getting quite a bit older since realizing I was just leaving my teenage years when Hundred Reasons dropped their most recent album… incredible.
So, imagine my glee when not only do I see them suddenly putting on a tour but also releasing a new album in the form of ‘Glorious Sunset’ and I get the privilege of being able to get listening to it prior to its release and their forthcoming tour date in Manchester. I’ve been spinning this quite a lot over the past few weeks and it’s like they’ve never been away, they’ve got all those fantastic uplifting hooks and catchy melodies they’re well known for right from the start of ‘Ideas Above Our Station’ and kicking off with its title track, ‘Glorious Sunset’ I feel right at home here.
Even ‘New Glasses’ and ‘It Suits You’ could be straight off ‘Ideas Above our Station’ and I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. One thing that stands out though on the whole is that you can tell that they’ve gotten a bit older as the songwriting and overall sound comes off as much more mature and thoughtful but without losing the playful element that made up the core of their music throughout all of their previous albums.
‘Replicate’ and ‘Done’ are solid examples of their sound maturing a lot over the years they’ve been generally inactive, a bit slower than some of their frantic riffing that their biggest songs are known for but it’s unmistakably Hundred Reasons. This is just the halfway point of the album that so far is easy to pick up, get stuck into and feel almost immediately familiar with.
In the latter half of the album though I feel is quite special as it ramps up the more emotionally heavy numbers such as ‘Right There With You’ and ‘So So Soon’ that toy with big choruses that I know for a fact are going to end up being big parts of their live shows coming up and I really hope that the audiences are with me on this.
As we hit the peak of the album, ‘The Old School Way’ pays tribute to the more nostalgic sound of Hundred Reasons and honestly takes me right back to the days of warm summers and dumb fun before the weight of the world was properly felt on my shoulders. It’s the sort of track you could lay over various clips of friends being idiots cutting loose at festivals or trips away without parents being there for the first time before leading into the album’s finale of ‘Wave Form’.
Opting to close ‘Glorious Sunset’ with a melancholy tinged banger that wraps up what is an absolutely fantastic return from Hundred Reasons and I can’t put into words accurately how happy I am to not only just get to see them in Manchester on the upcoming tour but also at 2000 Trees later this year with some great company.
Welcome back guys, you’ve been massively missed by this ageing millennial. I’ll be sure to throw everything I can into seeing your upcoming shows, I can’t wait.
- ‘Glorious Sunset’ is released on Friday (24 February).
- The tour kicks off tomorrow (Thursday 23 February):
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