Hater - Siesta (2018)

The Swedish indie pop band Hater hadn't been together long by the time they released their second album Siesta -- only a couple of years -- but they exhibited a mastery of the form that most bands never achieve no matter how long they are together. Here, they've moved a step or two beyond the already classic pop sounds of their debut album, You Tried, and the jangling goodness of their 2017 EP, Red Blinders, to create a powerfully emotional and richly textured listening experience. The band and producer Joakim Lindberg take care at every step to avoid indie clichés and invest every note played or sung with some kind of deeper meaning or feeling. Vocalist Caroline Landahl is the focal point and her achingly honest singing cuts straight to the heart of each melancholy lyric or lilting melody to deliver a gut punch. She doesn't swing like a heavyweight, but her tender blows land with a heavy impact just the same. Around her, the band construct a sound that can be starkly minimal or layered like a girl group song depending on the mood. It can switch quickly within a song, too, which leads to some thrilling moments of release like when the chorus of "Closer" explodes into shards of guitar noise and dueling vocals. The album is split between jangling, noisy uptempo tracks that call to mind memories of the Concretes' best moments and almost painfully tender songs that lay Landahl's emotions bare and allow the band to use the subtle colors in the paint box. Unlike a lot of albums where one style is the clear winner, Hater are equally adept at each. They imbue the louder, more active songs like "It's So Easy" and "Cut Me Loose" with energy to spare, but also a large dollop of sadness to keep anyone from having too much fun. The slow songs never drag or wallow, the band make sure to inject a synth part here or a shuddering bassline there to help jolt songs like the arctic "I Sure Want To" or the peacefully meandering "The Mornings" out of their narcotic trance. The band always employs just the right touch in the arrangements and the songs benefit greatly from their expert skills. Siesta isn't the work of twee strummers or a band who heard Belle and Sebastian and wanted to have a go; these are serious musicians, great songwriters and subtle arrangers, and they've made a classic pop record that deserves play by anyone who recognizes that songs don't need to make the most noise or be the shiniest new thing to have an impact in the emotional life of the listener. Sometimes gentle and calm gets the job done, and that is definitely the case here.