Hater didn't need to change an thing. The band was already considered one of the brightest rising stars in Sweden and had earned fans at home and abroad for their tuneful, melancholy jangle pop. But the quartet apparently felt the fire to explore new sonic territory. The results are on grand display on their recently released
Sincere. The changes are immediate and dramatic. The sound is denser and more layered. Mans Leonartsson's guitar ring, crunch, snarl and stab like a chorus of unleashed spirits. The drums are big; the bass insistent. The arrangements are more expansive and often explosive. And the songwriting has a more aggressive edge. Of course, the focal point remains the vocals of Caroline Landahl. Always expressive and nuanced, she seems to have found another level to match the change in material.
Sincere asks questions of their creators, and in our view they answer them all with style. Regardless of tempo and noise level, these songs are fully fleshed out and played with punch and confidence. The world may be down one jangling pop band, but there is a new indie rock star ascending.
Hater are Caroline Landahl, Mans Leonartsson, Frederick Rundquist, and Rasmus Andersson. Sincere is out now via Fire Records
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