It's no surprise that indie music's most open-hearted band would release an album called Communicating. Hundred Waters are earnest almost to a fault, delivering cosy and welcoming electronic pop that is a shoulder to cry on and a reassuring word. On their third full-length album, though, it feels less like they are speaking from the heart, and more like they are saying what they think we want to hear.
The luminous first single "Particle" opens the album. It's the most pop-oriented that the band have ever sounded, with sparkling synths and wistful piano joined by melting siren sounds and cracking beats. Despite that, it's hard to dilute the strength of frontwoman Nicole Miglis as a performer. Her breathy, deceptively gymnastic voice wraps around phrasing that other singers wouldn't even attempt, adding distinctive contours to the song even if it is less challenging than the precedent set by Hundred Waters.
Even following the solid Currency EP from earlier this year that marked a shift for the band, Communicating holds some surprises. The run from the disco-flavoured "Wave to Anchor," through the jazzy, ebbing "Prison Guard," and the gorgeous piano and voice ballad "Parade" to the half-jaunty half-racing "At Home & In My Head" finds the bands chops on display more than ever before. In particular drummer Zach Tretrault shines, lending elasticity and dynamism to these songs.
From its more earthy beginning, the album moves into more freely floating territory. The burbling "Firelight" is unfortunately too formless to make much of an impression, but the darkly alluring, creeping "Fingers" and the short, stunning choral fantasia "RE:" (which sounds uncannily like the score for a classic, mid-century Disney film) are both winners.
The album's second half tips the scales in the opposite direction to the more radio-friendly first - sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. The band's proclivity for building miniature climaxes out of repetition is on show on both the title track and the single "Blanket Me." The difference between the two is that the latter builds a fervorous plea for devotion out of the song's titular phrase, while the latter is more of an aimless caterwaul that is not melodic or dynamic enough to sustain itself.
Album closer "Better" is the kind of swing for the back row that doesn't suit the band. Miglis, who normally sounds like she is whispering directly into you ear, here sounds detached and almost aloof. It's still lovely, but this is a band that used to transcend being just "lovely." Communicating remains a portrait of what makes Hundred Waters special, but ultimately it doesn't make as much of an impression as its predecessors. Hopefully this is a transitional record to a new frontier for the trio.
Communicating is out on CD, vinyl, and digital formats on Friday September 15th.
