Album Review: The Haunted Continents - The Loudest Year Ever

From the bright lights of New York City comes a fantastic new band set to bring 50’s rock and roll straight back into the 21st century; The Haunted Continents are here with their debut album, ‘The Loudest Year Ever’.

The LP opens with the track ‘2nd Ave. Blues’ and proves to be an absolute jem! This catchy, upbeat song has a real indie feel about it, but when you notice that distorted guitar mashed in with everything else, it makes you realise that there's something a bit more to this band than meets the eye... or ear!

The pace slows down on numerous occasions throughout the album, notably with the acoustic number ‘Nothin’ To Be Done’ and the heartfelt ‘Acceptance’, however, you find that the tone is offset by more upbeat tracks throughout. Whether it’s the Paul Simon-esque ‘Cure For The Blues’ or the 12-bar-blues styled ‘She’s My Only One’, there seems to be a whole host of influences and styles thrown into the mix.

Lyrically, the themes seem to take a very sincere and introspective look on love and relationships; on some occasions the lyrics are juxtaposed with the tone of the music which makes for some pretty interesting listening, either way, each song tells an honest story and considering its just two guys in the band, they certainly pack a lot of punch in each song.

Ending with the slow jam ‘All My Woman’, the overdrive, the retro melodies and powerful drumming are all merged together to finish the album on a high.

Whether it’s Weezer, We Are Scientists, Guster or whoever else you think of when you listen to this album, one thing’s for sure, you won’t be thinking about them when you’re done; The Haunted Continents have put out a fantastic debut that is fresh, raw and is something that certainly deserves a lot of praise.

4.5/5

‘The Loudest Year Ever’ by The Haunted Continents is available now through Forest Park Recordings.

Official Website

The Haunted Continents on MySpace

Sandeep Dawett