When The Turbulence Hits by Hopeful.
Thoughts on the debut EP of a band with a clear motivation and message.
Hi Pal,
Before we get into it, if you are new here, welcome to our little corner. I hope you stick around.
Hopeful. might have the most on-the-nose band name ever, but it’s impossible to listen to their music without realizing how appropriate it is. If you’re new to them, their lineup consists of Randy Taylor (Lead Vocals), Hunter Jackson (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Eddie Buelna (Guitar), Bryce Suyenaga (Drums) and James Barragan (Bass). They create alternative/indie rock tunes and this is their debut EP, When The Turbulence Hits.
“Oxygen Mask” starts this EP with a snippet of a flight attendant running through safety protocols and speaking about the use of oxygen masks. The music kicks with steady drumming and a groovy bass line. It’s a song that reminds us of the grace of God and His presence with us, irrespective of the ebbs and flows of life — a consistent theme of the EP, hence the name.
While its predecessor is a bit more subdued, “Shipwrecked” is a progressive indie rock tune that reflects some of the best qualities of the band — an anthemic chorus, great riffs and words of encouragement in the lyrics. “Steady…Steadily” has some of my favourite lines on this project:
It gets a little more steady further on down the road
You feel a little more ready when you give yourself time to grow
I know it’s hard sometimes to wrap your head around it, just wrap your heart around this truth
It gets a little more steady, steadily
Musically, it has some post-punk sensibilities, particularly around the drum patterns and I love the feeling of warmth that the song exudes. “Pressure” was the first single that I listened to and it still hits the same after a few months. I love songs that can capture some of the struggles of everyday life with honesty and hope in equal measure and it does this well.
“Wasting Away” is the most complete song on this EP and it is only fair that it is the final tune. There are heartland rock elements infused in the composition as the band once again shows their range and gives us a glimpse into what this band could potentially be in future. Lyrically, it is a song of prayer that is honest about human frailties while confessing a complete dependency on God.
Overall, I had a pleasant listening experience with this EP and there are songs on it that are on repeat constantly. As someone who has been a fan of indie rock for over a decade now, my only wish is that they add more variety to their composition and song arrangements on future projects. These songs are great as singles but while listening to the EP as a body of work, there are similarities that I couldn’t miss in the composition choices that made it sound a bit formulaic at times.
These little quips do not affect my enjoyment of When The Turbulence Hits. It’s a well-written conceptual EP that finds five different ways of passing a singular message: hope within the storm.
Genre(s): Indie Rock
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Connect with Hopeful.
Instagram • Website • Other Links
That’s it for today.
Catch you soon!
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