Bouncing back and forth between New York and New Zealand, Simon Spire has drawn inspirations from both locations for his independently distributed Four-Letter Words. “Liberate Your Love” is this record’s introductory synth-filled uplifter. The indie pop release is upbeat, sounding something like a more organic step above Owl City. The subject matter of the track “Uncomfortable” stays with you as they raise the topic of not yet knowing your place in the world. This musician has mastered clean vocals as well as his guitar playing for this effort, which makes even the most melancholy of issues sound pretty. “No Solid Ground” changes the mood with a slow, swaying tempo underneath romantic lyrics and keys without ever developing into anything corny. Although this number was not done in the same mode as the rest of the album, it may be the best one overall. Simon Spire exhibits here that he is capable of more than just one musical style.
Everything is stripped down for the eighth track, “The Blue Pill,” which is only the vocalist singing emotionally over a somber piano part. Another synth-oriented intro leads into “Whisper From The Dark,” a cut where the vocalist sweetly repeats, “I should have known better than to break your heart.” The feel of the song is very ‘90s alternative and it sticks with you. Simon Spire keeps the super poppy vibes coming with the song “Light Survives,” where the artist explores his vocal range and pulls off high notes smoothly. After listening to this album, one hopes that this musician will be the future of indie pop. If he can pull this off, it would be for the benefit of the genre as well as the industry.
In A Word: Potential
