High Tides’ new self-titled album has all the sounds of summer. Comprised of the “hazy synth” duo Warren Kroll and Steven Lutes, High Tides’ album is performed entirely with a synthesizer and few vocals. Although very creative, this album has its hits and misses.

Sunware has a sunny and beautiful sound that would be perfect for a Saturday at the beach. Psychic Love Damage (High Tides Version) is hypnotic and peaceful. The Beach Elder has a jazzy and smooth melody. Face Breakout (High Tides Version) is an interesting track. The soft vocals combined with the synthesizer and drums add to its air of mystery. The drums and the sounds of the waves make Ripped Tide very calming and perfect to listen to late in the evening.

7 Mile Beach and Coastal Cruise ‘86 have a very similar sound. The only difference is that Coastal Cruise ‘86 has a more peaceful and softer sound, whereas 7 Mile Beach is piercing and monotonous. Blurring my Damage has an 80’s beach sound. The soft background vocals make the track very sexy and appealing. Eruption exudes sexuality, particularly with the combination of the background vocals and synthesizer. The Sunset Tanz is mellow and relaxing.

The downside to this album is that there are tracks that sound identical to one another. It sounds as if the same sound was recycled for each song. Ordinarily, every track on an album would have its own sound, its own beats and stand out from the next and last songs. Songs should be able to be in a class all by themselves. While this album has a summer theme, it’s hard to enjoy an album that practically repeats itself in every track.

This is a fun summertime album, but it’s also repetitive. On one hand, the listeners may enjoy the theme of the album and may be able to relax while listening to each song. On the other hand, the fans will take notice that each song sounds like the last and might not respond well to the repetitiveness of each track. I like the beach theme, but when each song sounds just like the previous one, it’s hard to hold interest.

Final Grade: D

About The Author

Lauren Beverly

Music Reviewer

I love to write and have been doing so since the age of eight. Fictional stories have always been a favorite of mine, because it gives me a chance to be creative and to express myself in a multitude of ways. On more than one occasion, a song proved to be the inspiration to several stories I have written. Believe it or not, some of those songs were on soundtracks! That’s mostly what I listen to, aside from hits from the 1950’s up to the 1980’s. I’ve learned that anything can be the inspiration to a story, even a poster from the 1990’s or a DVD cover.

I’ve lived in Upper Marlboro all of my life and spent much of my childhood watching cartoons of all kinds, and listening to my older sister’s cassette tapes. Growing up, I listened to everything Jackson related, Paula Abdul, Elton John, and even the controversial group Milli Vanilli. As a teenager, I continued to listen to old-school hits and that was pretty much all I liked, aside from listening to all of Michael Jackson’s music. To this day, I still love old-school hits. That hasn’t changed.

I own a variety of CDs from artists such as Styx, The BeeGees, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, and many others. When a soundtrack comes out, there will always be one specific song from that album that I’ll love. It never fails.

I’ve graduated from Bowie State University in December 2013 with a B.A. degree in English.

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