I’ll be honest, I’ve heard of The Birthday Massacre but had never heard them before Hide And Seek (Their fifth album). The loser in this equation is obviously me because the music that TBM make is meant to be consumed by as many people as possible. They easily make music that could score the entire Twilight series of movies (Hey, that’s not an insult! Those soundtracks are awesome!) with these songs that are sort of electronic and sort of rock with these gorgeous vocal passages thanks to vocalist Chibi who just kills on every song.
“Leaving Tonight” creates this lush mood that seeps throughout all of Hide And Seek while “Down” is this awesome electro romp with grinding guitars that shows off Chibi’s bite behind the mic (Along with Falcore and Rainbow’s axe wielding prowess) when she switches to a gruff bark in between the grandiose choruses. “Need” is another one that begs to be a heard (Let’s be honest, all of Hide And Seek begs to be heard) as solid beats lay a foundation with guitars that mesh seamlessly in with the synth overtones making this one of the best (And most catchy!) tracks on HAS.
“Alibis” screams Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, and Orgy. “One Promise” adds on the Orgy some more and will make listeners dig for their Candyass albums. “Cover My Eyes” is this dreamy synth heavy number that brings to mind Ladytron while the rest of Hide And Seek is filled with dancefloor ready anthems that are meant for the kinds of clubs that require an all black clothing dress code.
Hide And Seek is out through Metropolis Records on October 9th. Get your pre-order (and listen to samples) here.
Grade: A