Album Review: Echosmith – “Lonely Generation”

Echosmith, the sibling group famous for “Cool Kids”, toured for seven years before releasing their next full-length album. In the time since they’ve released an EP and a steady stream of singles, but their latest album gives them the chance to show off their growth since their teenage debut. As the title Lonely Generation suggests, the album hits on the idea that we as a society have never been more connected to technology, and less in tune with each other. Echosmith’s latest release ruminates on the simpler pleasures of love and family to get through the epidemic of digital isolation, while rising above the teenage need to be seen that made them popular to begin with.

Sounding like a summer dream, Echosmith’s new album dives headfirst into love and the unattainable ideals we put ourselves through. “Diamonds” deals with the constant polish needed to upkeep one’s reputation while “Cracked” reveals the resulting fallout when the unrealistic fantasy shatters. To solve this existential crisis, “Shut Up and Kiss Me” races into a loving distraction from the present day. The rest of the album sticks to a similar cycle of feeling lonely and thus running towards love as an answer. It should be no surprise because to their twenty-something audience, love is always the answer.

The titular song “Lonely Generation” that opens the album sums up the band’s sentiments gracefully when singing, “We’re the lonely generation/ A pixelated version of ourselves/ Empty conversations/ I’ve disconnected, now I’m by myself.” Young people today are desperate for an intimate connection while lost in a sea of cell phone content. Possibly to contrast the over-digitalization of today’s culture, Lonely Generation utilizes acoustic instruments to back up the album. There is a touch of pop synth to add a modern flavor to the beat, but they keep a light touch on their production so as not to overwhelm the somber aesthetic.

“Lose Somebody” and “Love You Better” are upbeat and the most likely to capture the attention of the radio, but the majority of the album serves as a calming agent. Lonely Generation is a pleasant, well-rounded album that is cohesively tied together. Very few people will have anything negative to say about Echosmith’s new music as it is grounded in solid talent. While it is an enjoyable distraction to listen through, it lacks an experimental element that would separate it from other young alt-pop bands dealing with the very same topics in a fairly similar manner.

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