Would It Kill You?
A lot has happened to Hellogoodbye since the Huntington Beach, California-based act released their breakthrough album 'Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!' in 2006. Over the past four years the band have parted with their old record label, retooled their lineup, released a handful of EPs and performed everywhere from the Philippines to living rooms. All of these cumulative experiences play into the bands new album 'Would It Kill You?' a collection of perfect pop gems that not only proves that Hellogoodbye are still relevant but affirms that if anything, theyve sharpened their musical edge over the past few years. Released on the bands own label Wasted Summer label and recorded with longtime producer Matt Mahaffey (Beck, Tenacious D) at his studio as well as frontman Forrest Klines renovated garage, Kline approached 'Would It Kill You?' in very much the same way he did the bands debut: by concentrating on the songwriting instead of fancy production tricks. From the upbeat opener Finding Something To Do to horn-driven, Shins-esque indie rock romps like Betrayed By Bones and epic, intricately arranged masterpieces such as The Thoughts That Give Me The Creeps, 'Would It Kill You?' sees the band exploring new instrumental timbres that bring out the inherent sonic subtleties in these tracks. Musically the disc retains Klines love of doo-wop and oldies, but puts them into a fresh, new context to keep these influences from sounding clichéd. 'When I was in third grade all I listened to was oldies radio so thats been a huge influence on me for my entire life,' Kline explains when asked how he manages to keep the music on 'Would It Kill You?' sounding so fresh. 'That said, Ive never liked it when something sounds like a throwback or sounds old for the sake of being old because thats already been done before,' Kline explains. 'I like it better if someone takes what they like about something and does it in a more natural way.', Hellogoodbye touring on the first Soundwave Revolution tour of Australia in September 2011.
