This pop/rock quartet recently left their label to return to the indie charts. The Rescues, hailing from Los Angeles, is notable for their rich four part harmonies and their poetic lyrics. Their most recent album (thanks to crowdfunding) “Blah Blah Love and War” features slower, more relaxed tracks like “Did It Really Even Matter” to harder tempo tracks like “Be My Cure,” this album has an awesome mix of songs that multitudes can enjoy.

The first song on the album “Did It Really Even Matter” just gives off that light, airy vibe, and with the continuous lyric, “Ask yourself did it really even matter?” that’s exactly the feeling the listener gets. The feeling that you should just keep moving forward because in the end, the issue you’re facing won’t even matter in the long run.

The next song, “Never Let You Go,” has a definite Needtobreathe vibe. Like the first track, this one is also a very encouraging song. The lyrics, “When you can't see where you're going to, when it's all slipping away from you
I will never let you go,” once again work hand in hand with the upbeat instruments to create the relaxed feeling heard in this track. The build up to the bridge does the perfect job of creating chaos to then settle down once again and prove just like the song says, “When the world accelerates, I will never let you go.”

From there, the album transitions into a song called “Arrow”. The song starts out with just a piano and a single voice, but then is soon accompanied by the flawless harmonies commonly seen throughout this whole album. It builds to the chorus, adding voices and instruments as the song builds. It does an impeccable job of escalating throughout the song just like an arrow would as it travels through the air. I really enjoyed this particular track and use of many different elements of music.

“Be My Cure” is one of the less “relaxed” songs on the album. It has a more prominent drum beat which fits perfectly with the urgency of the lyrics on this track. It sounds similar to something by the XX’s but as said before, minus that relaxed feel but rather urgency.

The track “Under The Weather” is a almost the very definition of what indie rock is. You really hear all of the elements on both the indie genre and the rock genre. It has similar sounds to that of The Killers and it is definitely a track that shows off the harmonies and the newfound indie style of The Rescues.

The Rescues then take the album in a more vulnerable direction with the songs “Run Away” and “The Longest Winter”. “Run Away” definitely has a soothing sound, which is perfect for the lyrics to the song. “I’ll leave a light on for you, babe, my runaway” accompanied by the encouraging instruments in the song make this a song of hope and encouragement. “The Longest Winter” has a super calming melody as well ,and accompanied with the lyrics makes you almost imagine snow falling outside. This track kind of slipped by me due to the large number of wonderful songs on this album, but it is definitely still a very well made song.

The next song “Love Like Cyanide” is one of, if not my favorite songs on the album. It has similar qualities to old 70s or 80s rock, which really makes it stand out. Definitely a track that you could belt out in a garage band!

“Everything Is Gonna Be Better Next Year” is another really great track. Definitely one you would listen to with all the windows down in your car. This one grabs your attention with the somewhat muffled lyrics in the verses and then the explosion in the chorus. Just like many songs on this album, it gives you hope seeing as how most of the lyrics state that “come January 1st, everything is gonna be better next year.”

Next is the track “Get Back”. What I found interesting about this song is that it is almost a reversed style in relation to the other songs on the album. It starts out with the multiple harmonies and then in the chorus it fades into a unison chorus. It sounds really cool and really adds to the message of the song. The whole track is about getting back home and the arrangement of the song insinuates that feeling in the listener.

“Let Me Down Easy” and “Bigger Picture” bring the album to a close. “Let Me Down Easy”. It’s a really cool song seeing as that the chorus is “Let me down, let me down, let me down easy” which is echoed by “I won’t let you down.” It creates the feeling that two people are singing this song to one another. It’s like a story played out in a song, which creates a really interesting track. “Bigger Picture” has a hopeful message, encouraging message. The music totally accompanies the lyrics perfectly as with most of, if not all of, the tracks on this album. The drum beat sounding like a heartbeat along with the simple piano really gives the song what it needs to create emotion. This was a great song to end the album with seeing as how it leaves listeners with the words “there’s a bigger picture, there’s a higher love, there’s a hope that’s overflowing for everyone.” Another excellent track for sure!

This album is definitely a hit. Although leaving their major label to try their hand at the indie ranks can be a risky endeavor, The Rescues nailed it with this one. “Blah Blah Love and War” is a perfect recipe of songs that make up an excellent album. I found it to be absolutely brilliant and I know so many others will too!