When Los Campesinos! first started appearing on blogs, I half expected to download the track and hear a Spanish folksong. However, what came through my headphones was an excellently sugary combination of twee-emo and bombastic pop called, “You! Me! Dancing!“
Early on, when the seven members of the band were barely in their 20s, their blog popularity and live shows garnered them airplay on BBC1 which lead to an opening slot for the similarly bombastic Broken Social Scene and eventually signed to WitchitaRecordings. Noted as much for their lyrical intensity as for their anthemic elegance, they’ve been that rare band that has been able to uncompromisingly remain themselves while achieving chart positions while being critical acclaimed.
Last week saw the release of their 4th full length record, Hello Sadness. As heartbroken and as honest a record as they’ve written to date, Hello Sadness is an intense and intensely rewarding listen. The opener, “By Your Hand,” and the title track, “Hello Sadness,” are both super poppy indie rock jams that go as big as any Arcade Fire hit and “To Tundra” has the emotional heft of Wish-era songs by The Cure.
Go to your favorite record store and say, “Hello Sadness.” Say, hola Los Campesinos!