Album Review: Said The Whale – “hawaiii”

By: Luke Ottenhof –

Vancouver-based indie-rockers Said the Whale have spent six years becoming an example of tireless, swooning guitar-pop goodness. Their steadfast work ethic and dedication to crafting addictive, easy-going dance-rock tunes have set them in the fast lane, and with their new full-length album, hawaiii, it’s pedal-to-the-pop-rock-metal time.

Released yesterday (September 17th) on Hidden Pony Records, the album has already seen extensive pre-release excitement for it’s lead single, “I Love You”. Radio stations in Canada and the United States have cranked out this track, and now eager fans that’ve been humming the delightfully unshakeable chorus to it can tack on eleven new tracks to their playlist.

The record opens with “More Than This”, a spacey, jam-sounding piano and vocals piece, with tambourine and harmonies gracing the track later, as singer Ben Worcester’s openness sets the tone of the record: “This little white pill that you gave me/Opened up all my doors and windows/And here I am, this scarecrow/Here I had my eyes closed.”

Ditching the soft-skinned opener, the album digs in with “Mother”, a romping bass and skin-tight, dance-beat driven number, with the trademark, echoey harmony work filling the gaps. “Try to always be a gentleman/I try to always be a better friend/Lately I’ve been feeling half the man/Like maybe I should be more who I am,” ponders co-singer Tyler Bancroft on the track, revealing the same level of intimacy and self-questioning that opened the record. The frenzied chorus, punctuated with “Don’t tell my mother/Don’t tell my mother till I pull myself together,” indicates that if you didn’t think it was a record full of ear-worms, you’ve got a long listen ahead.

“Narrows”, switches the vocal duties again and it’s an enjoyable acoustic-rock ramble complete with a “La-da-da-da-da” breakdown bit. With the back-and-forth between Worcester and Bancroft, each coloured in with three-piece vocal harmonies, Said the Whale has the distinct advantage of a “two for the price of one”-type deal. When the deep warmth of Worcester’s voice switches with the almost impossibly-surreal sound of Bancroft’s, it could be an entirely different band.

The quick, honed sounds produced on tracks “I Love You” and “Willow” are neatly bookended with the slow burn of “Safe to Say” and “Resolutions”. As with the contrast in the dual vocal work, the back and forth from tight to loose, sunny to rainy and soft to intense is formidable, and makes for an irresistibly engaging listening experience.

The most impressionable impact that the five-piece has succeeded in driving home is the openness and breath of fresh air that comes as a result of honesty. Bancroft says of the record, “Lyrically it’s the most honest I’ve ever been.”

The delicate but venomous mix of pop, dance, and rock that they have become known for has soared to new heights on hawaiii. It’s an intentionally ambiguous title; while referring to obvious sun-soaked climes and soothing beauty, the distortion of such ideas is equally important to the record’s integrity. Said the Whale has laid out a seductively well-made record for their rise from the depths of independent music.

Essential Tracks: “Willow, “Mother”, and “The Weight of the Season”.