Irish rock band, Inhaler, have had a strange career trajectory in my opinion. An no, it has nothing to do with the fact that lead singer Elijah Hewson is Bono’s son (?!).
They lived off a number of singles for a very long time when the finally dropped their first full-length album, It Won’t Always Be Like This. Now, barely a year later their second record, Cuts & Bruises lands in our hands. I suppose capitalizing on a hot streak is not a bad idea. Though I also wonder how long the songs for the first record were sitting around before they got signed by anyone. Either way, this next record seemed like a logical progression for the band. It’s taken on a more mellow sound and I can’t help but think this is the groove they will settle into for the long haul. It’s a good sound. A pleasant sound. But just because it’s good and pleasant, doesn’t make it memorable.
Sadly, that’s where I’ve landed after two rounds through this 11-track effort. There are certainly good songs, but in two weeks if you asked me even what the singles were off this record, I couldn’t tell you. Most of the tracks started off really strong and interesting, but then they all kind of fell into the same tempo so thinking back it’s really hard to differentiate any of them. Again, this record is pleasant, but maybe just for some background music with friends or when you’re cooking, etc. I don’t know that there were many “hits” off the first record either, but as long as they’re happy, keep doing it I guess.
There was one song, “If You’re Gonna Break My Heart” that almost had a country twang to the guitars that had me cringing a little bit, but it managed to save itself. Perhaps the only songs I can recall right now that I liked over the others are opening track “Just to Keep You Satisfied” and lead single “Love Will Get You There.” The latter was not my favorite, but the chorus does manage to stay with you a little bit. The former felt like a good and exciting way to open the album before it fell into more of a subdued tempo, but it was lively enough to make an impact. Hewson’s vocals are like butter, just like his father’s, so again, this will be pleasing to the ear if anything else.
Who knows, maybe revisiting this album in the future will have a bigger impact, but for now, it was just passing the time.