Cold War Kids ‘Dear Miss Lonelyhearts’

Words by Brielle Cotelo

The indie rock scene is a fickle field to work in. It’s a place where an artist’s rep can often go from buzz-worthy to lukewarm in the span of just two albums. Like with Cold War Kids, who gained IT-band status in 2006 with their debut Robbers and Cowards, only to be flogged by critics for their 2008 follow-up, Loyalty to Loyalty.

But the Long Beach, California natives have kept humble and carried on. In 2011 they released the well-received Mine is Yours, and seemed to shake off that feeling of being ‘hung out to dry’ by the media.

This April the indie rockers dropped their fourth full-length LP, Miss Lonelyhearts. Right from the gateway, their opener “Miracle Mile” begins a jam-out session that does not die down for the rest of the album. With its peppy, electro-rock sound that strays from the group’s original roots, Cold War Kids prove to their audience they have definitely upgraded their sound since their last effort.

Traces of their old indie rock ways can still be found on several tracks, like “Jailbird”, which integrates the synthesizer and guitar to produce a song that will having you raising the volume and rocking out guaranteed. The LP strategically closes out with the mellow “Bitter Poem,” brilliantly allowing their audience to come down from this sugar high of tunes.

The band’s dedication and passion for their craft shines through immensely with the time and effort they put into it, and Dear Miss Lonelyhearts will leave fans wanting to press the rewind button to start the whole thing over again.

Currently, CWK are on a worldwide tour which closes out September 30th where it all began, in California. No excuses for not going, they’re playing all around the world!