After making their major-label breakthrough with {|L.A. Divine|}, {|Cold War Kids|} embarked on a project that was more ambitious and more spontaneous: New Age Norms, a trilogy of mini-albums that let them sharpen their songwriting and stretch out mu... Read more

After making their major-label breakthrough with {|L.A. Divine|}, {|Cold War Kids|} embarked on a project that was more ambitious and more spontaneous: New Age Norms, a trilogy of mini-albums that let them sharpen their songwriting and stretch out musically at the same time. On the first volume, {|Cold War Kids|} and their longtime producer {|Lars Stalfors|} continue to challenge each other. Together, they consolidated {|L.A. Divine|}'s sound into a slick yet rootsy whole; this time, they use the album's eight songs to expand the band's range. There are a few quintessentially {|Cold War Kids|} moments here, including 4th of July, a piano-driven showcase for {|Nathan Willett|}'s falsetto that sounds almost as warm as its namesake, and Calm Your Nerves, the kind of rousing ballad that shows why {|U2|} remains such a big influence on their music. For most of {|New Age Norms, Vol. 1|}, however, the band pushes their sound forward with insistent grooves indebted to disco, funk, and pop; the scornful shimmy of Dirt in My Eyes could almost pass for a grittier version of {|Maroon 5|}. On Fine Fine Fine, the band underscores the sentiment I don't want to be young again with the strummy guitars of their early days and backing vocals straight from '60s soul. This reimagining of traditional sounds echoes the way {|Cold War Kids|} question stereotypes during a time of changing social mores on {|New Age Norms, Vol. 1|}. This includes sexual politics: I want you for your intelligence, {|Willett|} croons on the strutting Waiting for Your Love. Two of the band's clearest statements of purpose bookend the album. Complainer begins the album with a funky call to action against exhausting negativity, and Tricky Devil closes it with a smoky, spooky portrait of hypocrisy that feels equally timely and timeless. Both polished and revealing, {|New Age Norms, Vol. 1|} reflects how {|Cold War Kids|} continue to broaden their horizons. ~ Heather Phares Less