Hellogoodbye is Back!

– a review of their new unreleased album Would It Kill You?

By Niko Pascua

For those of you USD students who attended Hellogoodbye’s Concert this homecoming and heard a few new, unfamiliar songs, the band has officially confirmed that they will be releasing a new album November 9 via their own label, Wasted Summer. Now for the question every fan is dying to know….

Do they still have that special Hellogoodbye magic that makes you feel like a hormonal teen professing his love eagerly awaiting acceptance or rejection?

Absolutely.

The playfulness, Forrest’s amazing voice, the love-stricken lyrics, the dramatic juxtaposition of sweet ukulele lullabies with screaming adolescent frustration: all of it is still there.

That last part is a little less true. As the band has matured, so to has their expression. But make no mistake, like wine, they have gotten better with age. Though fans will always remember them for their first release, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!, Would it Kill You? still holds a lot to enjoy. “The Thoughts That Give Me The Creeps” is probably the most adorably-crafted, lyrical masterpiece the band has released thus far. It will make you bob your head from side-to-side like a character form Charlie Brown. Who am I kidding? This is Hellogoodbye! They milk every ounce of adorability out of their songs!

Instrumentally, the band has always and will continue to be masters of the ukulele. They  do however throw in some almost folk-like guitar and brass that adds a lot of power to the  mix.

Ultimately, if you are a fan, you’ll love it. If you are not or have never heard of Hellogoodbye, this is a great album to tryout. The adolescence has been toned down and limited, making this album much more accessible to a broader spectrum of fans and their individual music preferences. Give it a try.

As a fan I give this a consciously biased 9 out of 10