Well, nothing like listening to an album almost a year and a half after it was initially released. Time is a black hole and it definitely hasn’t felt like that much time has passed. In any case, I’m finally listening to Inhaler’s debut album, It Won’t Always Be Like This a mere four months before their sophomore effort hits the shelves.
What I found most interesting about this album was how many songs had been released years before this record dropped. In looking at the band’s history, they never released any EPs that these songs could have shown up on. Instead, they were put into the world as singles dating clear back to 2018. That almost makes me more impressed with how quickly they’ll be turning around a new batch of songs for a full album. This debut record only has ten tracks, three of which came out well before the album. I know you could count these as singles, but I don’t think all that often a band releases singles for an album two years before it’s due to come out.
Anyways, I’m saying all that and not actually stating that I liked the record. It’s really solid front to back, and I’m actually quite surprised these guys aren’t huge. I do think maybe too much time passed between their stand-alone, non-album single “Ice Cream Sundae.” I do believe that had some mainstream success, and lead singer Elijah Hewson’s vocals are to die for. Of course, if he sounds like someone you might know, you’d be right. He just so happens to be Bono’s youngest child. I might have ruined it for some people, but once I learned that fact it was hard to hear anything but Bono’s voice in a twenty-something year-old’s body. But hey, if you got it, flaunt it.
I was really happy to see their old single, “When It Breaks” on the track list, and it’s easily the best song off the record in my opinion. It inhabits more pop punk sensibilities, and it’s got a chorus that’s catchy as hell. Actually, most songs off the record are pretty damn catchy. I was quite taken with the title track, “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” but “A Night on the Floor” and “Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House)” edge it out slightly. The former is really, really funky, while the latter offers some interesting synths that reminds me of video games (in my very limited experiences with them). Another track in the middle of the list wasn’t my favorite, but it made me laugh at its abruptness belongs to “My King Will Be Kind,” where on a few occasions I heard the line very clearly saying “I fucking hate that bitch.” Hilarious.
Overall, this was a solid record that I hope to give some more time to this year. Especially now that a new one is coming late February. I think fans of U2 should give this a shot, but also lovers of rock or pop punk will be pleased with what Inhaler have to offer.