Exile by Hurts

 7/10 

 Rated:(I can't get no) Satisfaction 

Well....Hurts second album is not as brilliant as their debut. An attempt to be hip and greater turned the electro-pop into a more melodramatic weak boy-band collection of forced tracks that are bearable but not as distinguish as 'Wonderful Life' or 'Better Than Love'.

The album keeps the 80's synthpop vibe,  mostly in songs as 'Cupid' and the opening track 'Exile', which is the most plain repetitive track of all, and is appreciable that those 1980's sounds are modernized in songs like 'Miracle' but sometimes is far too much compared to previous work that was balanced.  To have that vintage flashes is very from the band,people even compare to Depeche Mode, (slightly truth if you take off the roughness and vigor) , but in this album that Hurts twist doesn't shine, is just like band had to put that 80's synths otherwise it could have their essence. Sound is very band boy pop, in the weird form, like Take Thats non singles.



Fortunately the record gets better with the time and shows the band's epic-ness in songs like 'The Road' and 'The Crow' that are the strengths of the band and the album. Where the band failed was in making this monumental sound too theatrical and attention seeker so falls in a cliche and lame hole of not outstanding,astonishing unique sound. When the album gets more spiced up is like almost the whole second half but is weak because is not an evolved sound, except for the track 'Sandman' which is the most "risky" track with bits of hip hop. Also the "darkness" of the album sounds a bit faked.



Album is on the edge  to be a massive failure, a lack of excitement surrenders it and sounds a lot like it was  too rushed or that pressure make its evil work and didn't let the band shun as was supposed to. Not a very satisfactory album but has its moments that maybe with more time it would been massive so the ones to blame here are us, the fans, who were desperately for new material and was pushing and the result is a floppy not memorable material .

Recommended: Somebody To Die For,The Crow,The Road,
Not so: Exile,Blind