More What You Know Than Who You Know
The Hush Sound, a band signed to Decaydance and Fueled By Ramen. Immediately a Fall Out Boy Connection emerges. They hail from Chicago. We'll put this Fall Out Boy link down to coincidence. Then you find out their second album, Like Vines was co produced by none other than Patrick Stump, lead singer of a certain up and coming band called Fall Out Boy. Well, that does it then, the facts are all there; The Hush Sound must be another of the emo brigade, all life sucks and regulation angular haircuts. That's what you'd expect until they let their music and not their connections do the talking for them and you discover that this is a band who like to dabble, who like to mix a bit of pop with some rock, chucking some folk and indie in just for the hell of it and not simply relying on troubled male vocals but actually doing the unimaginable and having both a male and a female lead singer. Yes, The Hush Sound may be emerging from the Pete Wentz era and they may sound similar in parts to label mates Panic! At the Disco, but this Chicago quartet are certainly more than meets the eye.
Outrageously only released as a download to date, 'We Intertwined' soars along on a summer breeze accompanied by jangly guitars, a catchy chorus and uplifting melodies, making it a song that was born to be played on a sunny day. From here on The Hush Sound let loose on an eclectic voyage of piano aided pop/rock/folk that weaves and winds in an originally imaginative fashion. Boasting duel vocals, 'Don't Wake Me Up' comes across as a two sided story as Greta Salpeter's soft gentility blends with a classical stance whilst simultaneously melding with the rock attitude and grit of Bob Morris, proving that The Hush Sound are far from a stereotypical band. Although 'Lions Roar' sounds akin to Panic! At The Disco and indeed there are other similarities to the Las Vegas band throughout the album, The Hush Sound are far from being an imitation of the current emo pop bands. If further proof of this is required then you need look no further than closing track, 'You Are The Moon' on which Salpeter's graceful vocals invoke an impression of innocence, adding a simplicity to the track whilst gradually conveying a feeling of loss and pain, making the final song stand in stark contrast to the uplifting opener.
For some The Hush Sound's association with a particular Chicago quartet is going to act as a beacon, defiantly drawing in the younger crowds, but there is so much more to The Hush Sound than this, something Like Vines proves. Stylistically The Hush Sound offer an uniqueness which may just help distinguish them from the crowd, allowing them to be more than an up and coming Chicago group with links to Fall Out Boy. Although many will be drawn to the band for their tenuous musical links, the majority may just find that they stick around for the individuality that is The Hush Sound.