Toadies are back and once again showing us what they’ve got, coming out with their 7th album on September 8th called ‘The Lower Side of Uptown’. Over the past 25 years, the Toadies have been showing us what they know about rock, and how it’s done. From their first album, Pleather, to the up and coming ‘Lower Side…’, the Toadies show us their niche in the rock genre and just how much they add to it overall. So much respect for these guys and their sound! Lower Side is exactly what you would expect from the Toadies, and when I say that, it is completely complimentary.
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‘Lower Side…’ begins with ‘When I Die’, which after listening to the album all the way through, was the right choice for the first song. With a hard guitar line and a to-the-point drum line to match, the track shows exactly what you’ll be getting from the album as a whole – a non-apologetic bunch of tracks that will to get you in the bad ass mood no matter where you are, or what your situation may be while you happen to be listening. ‘When I Die’ doesn’t just consist of tough music though, the lyrics give the sound a perfect balance with lines like, “You can break my heart when I’m alive, just hold me tight when I die,” which gives the track a softer edge.
Another track I find important to mention, is ‘Keep Breathing’, which starts out with the type of guitar riff that gets stuck in your head for hours! The lyrics are what really stand out for this song; we’ve all heard this songs topic before, a reminder to keep going or to “keep breathing” when things are not going well. As a whole, the song will without a doubt make any listener feel unstoppable.
The track that I personally enjoy the most is, ‘Broke Down Stupid’. It’s got a playful rhythm to it to contradict the self deprecating lyrics; they combine to make a tune that you can’t help but relate to those times in your own life when you’re feeling less than adequate.
A few others tracks that need a mentioning are ‘You Know the Words’, A harsh, slower-paced song that’s bound to get you singing along, and ‘Amen’, one of the more subtle tracks from the album with heard-before yet memorising lyrics such as “cross my heart, hope to die, with you by my side”. So simple, yet they stay with you. ‘Echo’ is also catchy and memorable, as well as their rendition of I Put a Spell on You, which normally I would say is a cliché song to cover, but between Lewis’ animated voice and the saxophone solo towards the end, the cover adds an extra bit of fun to the album.
‘The Lower Side of Uptown’ is a well thought-out project with a lot of talent packed into it. Much love to the Toadies and this amazingly executed album, an incredible addition to their previous six.
