Another sweet discovery showed up at my door in the form of a funky, neon-dreamsicle colored vinyl album. This, the third installment from New Orleans’ indie rock duo, Generationals, is a vibrant, melodically-charged alt/pop album, titled ‘Heza’. Generationals’ Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer have done an impressive job on this 10-track effort, bringing the listener a gamut of summer-friendly tunes that are filled with quirk and personality.
‘Heza’ kicks off with “Spinoza”, much resembling a 90’s throwback from The Cure, invites the listener with its upbeat melody and sprightly guitar. This is one of my favorite tracks on the whole album, so I have gone back to it more than a few times.
The album maintains its bubbly sound by accompanying the prominent guitar and drums with light, balanced synthesizers. “Say When” is a perfect example of this; short, sweet, and warmly synthy. “You Got Me” and “Put a Light On” moves away from the 90’s feel and eases into a bit more of a relaxed listen; tunes that belong being played around a campfire at the beach.
Upon flipping the album over to side B, ‘Heza’ introduces a Black Keys feel with the song, “I Never Know”. It still has the cheerful melody and casual approach to guitar and synthesizers, but has much more of a alternative-bluesy-rock feel. Being another favorite of mine, it is so convenient that it is the first song on side B.
The alternative rock tone sticks around on this side of the album, especially with, “I Used to Let You Get to Me.” With an added prominence of guitar and increase in use of the synth, the lyrics of the song come to life much more with the powerful instrumentals.
‘Heza’ closes with “Durga II”, which winds the album down nicely as they return to the offhand sound of the guitar and drums, being barely accompanied by the synth. The sound also vaguely resembles the first track of the album, “Spinoza,” bringing the album full circle.
Generationals do a lovely job in bringing a splash of different genres to each song on Heza. While each song flows sweetly into the next one, they have balanced the overall sound and feel of this album very well. If you are needing a new album to chill out to this summer, this would definitely be a superb addition to your summer playlist.
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