Four Lights - Four Lights LP

Bypolar / Double Dōs (2024)

Four Lights is the new record from Four Lights and they've done that thing where the self titled record isn't their debut.  In this case it's their third album and for whatever reason my brain finds that confusing.  Naming an album is an opportunity to put something new and chaotic into the world.  Call it 'One Ton Human Hamster Wheel' or 'Bison Bisquick' or 'The Iron Man 3.'  But self titled?  C'mon, we can do better than that.  Especially when you've already thought of an album title two times before.

But my stupid ideas for album naming conventions aside, this is a really fun album to listen to.  Like their previous album, Kobayashi Maru, this new album is chock full of really catchy guitar pop songs full of hooks, harmonies and a good time.  There's definitely a little Weezer worship going on here, but the band is able to channel that as an influence to their sound rather than coming off like a fifth rate copy like Ozma or something like that.  Four Lights is more in line with a band like Gentlemen Rogues. where you can hear the inspiration, but it's not beating you over the head like the band has no ideas for their own.

I dare you to pop on "Clap Clap," "Lie to Me" or "Just Tonight" and not end up tapping your toe or nodding your head along.  The songs are well crafted and they mostly hit that sweet spot I'm always looking for of having energy, melody and not sounding too over produced.  Now, could I live without "Ska Song" hanging out in the middle of the A side?  Absolutely.  It sounds out of place and while I have nostalgia for lots and lots and lots of things, late 90s ska is not one of the those things for me.

That one detour aside, this is a very strong record top to bottom.  There aren't any songs on here reinventing the wheel, but I'm not sure I want much wheel reinvention at this stage in my life.  In a year that kind of bummed me out when it comes to new music in general, Four Lights is one of the bright spots.  It's definitely worth checking out as you start to make up your end of the year lists for 2024.

Four Lights - Four Lights:
https://fourlightsrock.bandcamp.com/album/four-lights

Four Lights - Kobayashi Maru LP - Blue Vinyl

Bomb Pop / Stardumb (2018)

Four Lights hail from Seattle and they actually played at the incredible Seattle Pop Punk Festival that I went to in January.  There were a ton of great bands that played that weekend and it was pretty cool to have this album show up in the mail.  Whatever magic Four Lights had as a live band that weekend has absolutely transferred to this album.  It's a gigantic ball of energy from start to finish.

To my ears, Four Lights has successfully threaded the needle between bands like Samiam and Superdrag.  They have the big, crunchy guitars and pounding energy you'd come to expect from the Samiams of the world.  But, they manage to incorporate the sort of hooks, song structures and harmonies that one might expect from some of those Superdrag level bands that snuck onto some major labels back in the 90s (only to end up in the used CD bins of the world for all eternity).

That isn't to say Four Lights is destined for the used bin.  Quite the contrary, this is an album filled with songs that get absolutely lodged into your cranium.  Whether the band is blasting forward full steam on songs like "ComRAD" and "We Got Em"or when they slow things down as they do on "Scene of the Crime" and "Jimmy's Song Part 2" (which reminds me a ton of the band Hospital Job) they always deliver on a big fat chorus that you'll be humming for days afterwards.  I'd not heard of Four Lights prior to the Seattle Pop Punk Festival, but I'm sure glad I did as Kobayashi Maru is good stuff.

Four Lights - Kobayashi Maru:
https://fourlightsrock.bandcamp.com/album/kobayashi-maru