Greetings dearest gentle readers and music fans worldwide. Today we have on our blog the English band 5 Hills Out. On, August 24, the folk-punk quartet released “Dystopia Bazaar.” In the midst of social and personal upheaval, they have made ten songs about history, hope, suffering, and revolt. Let’s talk about the details of this record
The album’s title track is called “Feelings”. The song opens with a wild intro that will captivate you. The song is about a character who has fallen for someone but has also realized that you spend a lot of your time with your partner (”these feelings take up all my time”). This realization has made him frustrated and he is also on the brink of ending the relationship. The frustration the character feels is translated through the vocal performance and the urgency and pace of the instrumentation(electric guitar solo). With this song the album starts and what a grand opening this was
“Echoed whispers”. The opening of the song is a tad slower than the first. The song is about how a well-known secret feels like and the character is reprimanded by another character to keep quiet about it and not to talk about it (” Hush don’t talk about it”). This song is fantastic and the female background singers make the song brilliant.
Next is the song “Town End”. This song has a country element but is still rock. The song is about a character who has taken the town she’s in head-on (”she’s fighting the town till the end”). The song is about social justice and fighting for change. There are trumpet sounds laced in the song. There is also a trumpet and guitar solo that is thrilling
Next is the song “Somehow”. The song opens with vibrant instrumentation. The song is about standing up to leaders who are corrupt and treating the citizens poorly(”screw your policies, go go go”). As a person living under poor leadership, corruption, and a poor economy I deeply resonate with this song and I know that slowly but surely someday somehow we will get to the change we are crying out for. Thanks to the band we will be encouraged to stand up to our leaders
Next is the song “Bricks”. The intro of the song is very catchy. The song is about a character who is imagining what bricks would say if they could talk(” If bricks could talk what would they say”). This is a twist on the saying “if walls could talk” or walls have ears. The song is profound and it lets you stop and think about the profoundly about the lyrics of the song
Next is a song called “Legend.” The song opens with a dramatic drum beat and it will catch your attention right away. The tempo of this song changes mid-song. This song is a breath of fresh air in the album and it would be such great to hear this song live
“Neanderthal” is the next song on the record. The song starts in a beautiful folksy way. In the song, the character looks out his window and doesn’t like the society he’s in. The song continues to list people in society who are not good people like racists, bigots, etc. He classifies these people as Neanderthals and uncouth. This song has a snazzy beat and it will captivate
“Monsters” is the next song. The song opens with this flavorful instrumentation. The song talks about monsters and how they eventually die. The vocal performance is beautiful and that solo had a lot of instruments but doesn’t sound too much, it is a tasteful piece of music
Next is the song “Lost Connection”. The song starts off with high-energy instrumentation. The song is about a connection between people and how it has changed so much. The instrumentation shifts between folksy melodies with stringed instruments and then back to light rock that will create a beautiful soundscape for listeners
“Sunflowers” is the song that comes next. This song has a very inspirational and folk-rock intro. The song is about a person who is deeply missing his partner (“I wish you were here”). The persona has missed his lover so much that he even sees her in sunflowers. The song has a sad message but it is incredibly foot-tapping. The instrumentation is so rousing and fantastic and the backing voice is also completely in sync with the song making an exciting journey for listeners. The album started with a bang and ended with a bang as well
This album was a love letter from the band to their fans and it was really intentional and thoughtful. Each song Carried meaning and purpose and was a joy to listen to. There is no song on the album you have to skip because they were all so amazing and awesome. Hats off to the band for this wonderful piece of music. I have fallen in love with their work and I can’t wait to hear more music from their camp
Stream the “Dystopia Bazaar” album on Spotify or SoundCloud
Follow 5 Hills Out here for more information.