Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us

I just realized a few days ago that I've been posting here for more than a year now; it doesn't seem like that long at all, but I guess the archive dates don't lie and it has been. To celebrate (ignoring the fact that the one year anniversary was actually at the end of March), here's another new review! I started out thinking it would be a lot shorter than usual but it ended up being long anyway, though I think it is a bit shorter than they've been lately. This is probably my second or third favorite release so far this year, I haven't decided exactly yet, but it's up there.

Mates of State



Re-Arrange Us

Mates of State, the husband/wife duo of Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, is a fantastic example of a band who keeps evolving and growing without losing what made them so unique and refreshing in the first place. With each of their five albums, they've matured and expanded their sound in a way that seems completely natural, starting with slightly obnoxious lo-fi indie pop songs and ending up with something more grown-up but no less energetic and catchy. Somewhere along the line, they've become more than capable of writing a truly perfect pop song, an accomplishment that is not to be taken lightly. With the latest of these albums, Re-Arrange Us, the Mates take their biggest steps in a new direction yet, ditching Gardner's signature organ and instead opting for simple piano and other keyboards (though piano is not something new to the band's repertoire; see "Parachutes (Funeral Song)", "Drop and Anchor", and "Like U Crazy" for the stunning proof). At first, this seems like it could be a bad move, removing one of their most memorable assets from the equation, but a handful of listens through Re-Arrange Us proves that to be totally untrue. In fact, it only solidifies their strength as songwriters when such a huge part of their sound is altered yet the quality of the music doesn't waver at all. There have been so many examples of the happiness of married life and children turning a musician's music into something bland and uninspired, so it's refreshing to see that Mates of State are still going strong five albums, two children, and seven years of marriage later - and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
 

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For fans of: Tilly and the Wall, Rilo Kiley, Rainer Maria, The Hush Sound
Re-Arrange Us is out now on Barsuk records. What are you waiting for?! Go buy it right now!

Remember, change hxxp to http to download.

• Now
• The Re-Arranger
• Jigsaw
• Blue and Gold Print

Next on my list of reviews to accomplish is the latest Tilly and the Wall, but my opinion on that is still fluctuating a bit and it doesn't "officially" come out until Tuesday anyway, so I have a bit of time to procrastinate still.