By its own admission, Hello, Face is the type of band “best played loudly in a bar on repeat.” That’s an apt and admirable description, but it’s when Hello, Face should be played loudly in a bar on repeat that makes the Milwaukee group so compelling. One listen to the new Why The Long Phase? will plunk you down in your favorite watering hole, right around 1 a.m. It’s not closing time, but it’s getting there.
Hello, Face’s Milwaukee-music-scene pedigree couldn’t be more impeccable. Members have done time in bands like Carolina, Maritime, The Championship, and The Benjamins. Singer-songwriter Bobby Flowers assembled the supergroup in 2017; occasional shows and a lone single followed. Now, a full seven years later, the band has released its long-in-the-works full-length debut. Why The Long Phase?—out now via Good Land Records—rings with sparkling alt-rock guitars, earnest and effortless melodies, and a hard-won sense of bleary-eyed optimism. “Love keeps us safe…” Flowers begins in album opener “Love Keeps.” “…when we’re not,” he finishes.
Why The Long Phase? is a great “just put it on” record: simply press play, kick back, and enjoy the next 36 minutes of expertly rendered rock-leaning indie rock. The aptly titled “Playing In The Bar” deploys a slightly country-fied vibe to deliver a rousing shit-kicking mission statement. Early standout “Quiet Nights” scores big with jangly guitars and glittery Cure-indebted synth. “No One Else,” meanwhile, is a brief and beautiful acoustic detour brimming over with bittersweet moments. “You keep it going, keep overcoming / You keep this engine running,” Flowers sings. “You’re not afraid to love.”
But it’s those not-quite-closing-time tracks that make up the enjoyable bulk of the record. “Long Phase” is all moody introspection, “I Want You Back” hoists a drink while wearing its lovelorn heart on its sleeve, and “Hard To Hold” looks through the bottom of that now-empty drink and asks for acceptance. Finally, the one-two closing punch of “Just Words” and “Author Of The Dead” hits hard and true, ending the night on a bruised but hopeful note.
Speaking of long phases, Why The Long Phase? has indeed been a long time coming for Hello, Face. Happily, the wait was worth it. “Every night, honest it’s no lie,” Flowers sings on “I Want You Back.” “You and I, and all good things in time.”
Hello Face will celebrate the release of Why The Long Phase? Saturday, September 14 at Club Garibaldi. Oshkosh group Redshift Headlights will play in support.
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