8/10
On their third album, Open Wide, Dublin indie rock band Inhaler occupies a space between Phoenix’s staccato pop-rock and the hook-driven rock of contemporaries like Royal Otis and Catfish And The Bottlemen. Elijah Hewson’s familiar voice (thanks to his father, U2’s Bono) has always set Inhaler apart from other groups, but it’s the band’s ability to churn out a sugary sing-along chorus song after song that is their most endearing quality. “Your House” starts with a thumping synth line that gives way to a bass guitar and Hewson’s voice as he sings, “Right around six or something…There I was…Barefoot in the street…Where I thought I'd float through your door…And I'd, I'd been there before…But I ain't so…” right before the chorus creeps in with an infectious piano line.
“A Question of You” is The Strokes meets U2 by way of Maroon 5 and one of the best songs Inhaler has written. Instead of trying to distance themselves or hide from their influences, they embrace them fully, and the results are pure ear candy. Hewson starts the song with the verse “You killed the morning…You called me up…Poured your heart out into my cup…Words of desire are they enough? What is it you were trying to make up?” over a confident drum beat. Distorted guitars weave in and out of the mix at the right times and carry the song into the stratosphere. “Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)” takes a minute to get into, but once the chorus hits, things open up, and the instrumentation becomes more interesting. The Arctic Monkeys could have written “Eddie In The Darkness” if they spent more time trying to write hits and less time curating an ironically cool image. The song kicks off the album with a retro 80s vibe and Hewson singing, “Eddie’s in the darkness…Doesn’t need to know…What he had to get away from…Something tells you…Got a little heartless…For too long…He’s headed where the dark is…I’m with Eddie in the darkness…” Open Wide is the sound of a band ready to take off and take over.
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