Review Summary: Notable cheerfulness
Work on the album
Lovesick was preceded by ten dramatic and event-filled months, any of which could have put an end to the band's existence. The resulting upheavals led to a significant lineup renewal, which in turn spurred a powerful creative burst. New members—guitarists and vocalists Nicole Rosenbach and Raina Mullen—brought a fresh perspective and different influences to the familiar dichotomy, demonstrating an enviable musical synergy with vocalist Calvin Langman, which infused the band's sound with a newfound, unbridled energy.
As the title suggests,
Lovesick is an attempt to rethink the joy and pain that are inevitable when you open your heart to the world. Therefore, the tracks are imbued with courage and fearlessness, combining emotional intensity with total vulnerability. However, the musicians managed to wrap these emotions in the overflowing energy of classic rock and roll and organically complement them with catchy pop choruses, sometimes playing out against sweeping orchestral arrangements.
For those familiar with the previous work of the now-quartet, Lovesick offers a generous portion of catchy pop music from
The Happy Fits, which this time borders on hyperactivity at times. One only needs to listen to tracks like the infectious
Everything You Do, the energetic
Cruel Power, the breakneck
The Nerve, the insistent
Black Hole, and the biting love song
Shake Me. It is surprising and heartening to hear such infectious energy and effervescent zest for life from a band that has been through a rather unpromising series of events. But no less valuable are the moments where
The Happy Fits stray from more familiar paths.
Opening the album, the sentimental track
Do You See Me? begins as an acoustic ballad and ends with orchestral grandeur. Langman and company unashamedly draw inspiration from the past, crafting tracks that nod to the pop diamonds of the 1970s. The band is not embarrassed by the old-school feel running through their sound, delivering convincingly poignant numbers like
Sarah's Song or lush, romantic classic ballads such as
I Could Stare at You for Hours,
Superior, and
Wrong About Me. The almost danceable
Wild in Love feels unexpected, paying homage to 1980s music, while the magnificent closing track
I Remember showcases a pleasantly complementary use of the cello.
Ultimately,
Lovesick is driven by a passion for life in all its messy, complicated beauty. Life is full of growth and healing, heartbreak and destruction, discovery and creation, mistakes and second chances. There is no need to fear this; one must simply embrace it. It seems that this is precisely the decision
The Happy Fits made, turning their personal experiences into an exciting, adventurous, and life-affirming album that benefits not only the musicians themselves, but music lovers everywhere.
