The Trophy Fire is an indie/power-pop band that was formed back in 2007 by lead singer and guitarist Ben Flanagan. In 2008, Flanagan worked with Jamie McGoldrick to release their first record, A Lifetime In The Middle Of The Ocean. Their debut won over listeners with its upbeat sound. For their sophomore album, Modern Hearts, Flanagan worked with Adam and John Schuman to continue to create more up-tempo pop-rock songs.
The first single and title track provides a great melody with catchy rhythms, shuffling drumbeats and a great use of dynamics. Synthesizers drive “Comrades,” “Tired Eyes” and “Twilight Park,” which help to build a deeper, darker sound to the songs. Synths are also used on a couple of covers that include AFI’s “Medicate Me” and “Heartbeats” by The Knife.
Intimate tracks that provide strong guitar playing and relatable lyrics are “Further Than We Know” with well-written hooks such as “Standing in her bedroom/With champagne and cigarettes/Talking resolutions/Taking sips and placing bets…” enable anyone to relate to the music. “Hired Gun” is an acoustic song about becoming so close to someone you don’t want to let them go or have the night end, while “Darker Into Gold” is about letting go, changing, evolving and surviving.
With all the competition in the alternative music genre, this band stands on their own, charming ears one song at a time.
In A Word: Heartfelt
