I was in my hotel room in Tulsa when I first listened to the EP. I’d ferried my trusted seven year old MacBook Air all across the Atlantic, complete with an equally old and battered external CD drive, with the sole purpose of ripping that CD the moment it was in my hands and listening to it in religious contemplation.
Compromise
The first song in the EP, "Compromise" starts with a piano and guitar intro, and instantly puts me in a state of acoustic bliss that reaches its nirvana as Isaac’s voice comes on some twenty seconds later. Before you can scream ‘Isaac lead’, Zac takes over vocals on the second verse, with the final part going to Taylor. After my initial split second of disappointment, it made complete sense: it’s a song about compromise, shared among the three brothers and layered with their trademark harmonies in between each verse. What is that if not a perfect example of musical compromise?
Thematically, my first thought was that the lyrics referred to the struggle of being brothers working together as a band, something that Hanson have hinted at many times. But at a closer look, “Compromise” can also be referring to the times we live in - accepting a compromise in the hope that things will change, but ultimately feeling dissatisfied. Hanson are not known for making a direct political commentary but I can’t help feeling that this song could hint at their true feelings about what happened to the U.S. since the last presidential elections. As ever when Hanson put some serious effort into their lyrics, the result is ambiguous, but that works, because pretty much everybody can relate to the song.
“Fighting for the last word, all you end up feeling is compromised.”
Doesn’t that sum up social media fights in one simple sentence?
Verdict
Musically, Hanson are at their very best when they keep things simple: that's when their unique alchemy of guitars, piano and harmonies produces gems like this song. Musically along the lines of “On the Road” and “On and On”, “Compromise” is one of the best songs to come out of 3CG in the last 10 years.
[You can watch the full music video of “Compromise” and watch the Real-to-Reel 'making of' video on Hanson’s YouTube channel.]
Worth the Wait
Full disclosure: I really hated this song on my first listen. Musically it’s the exact opposite of what I like - a sonic anti “Compromise”. A closer look at the lyrics, however, made me listen to it in a different way: “Worth the Wait” is clearly a celebration of Hanson’s faith and despite the fact that I’m not religious myself, I find that such a song is long overdue from a band who has never taken advantage of its position to evangelise. The EP is called In Real Life and whether a fan likes it or not, faith is a big part Hanson’s real, personal life. So if for once they want to shout it out and celebrate it with a song, I’m all for it.
Verdict
A ‘play’ or ‘skip’ depending on my current mood, but when I do play it, I see a video of this song with Hanson in shiny purple robes, leading a church choir at Sunday service like James Brown in The Blues Brothers.
[For further insight on the song, check out the Real-to-Reel video on Hanson’s YouTube channel.]
A song that had already been showcased at the past two BTTIs, Seymour is a Zac-on-guitar lead, a much needed change after the many sound-a-like piano songs of recent years. It’s a fun little song that tells the story of Seymour, a hapless character who gets into trouble with married women, the law and his creditors, to then undergo some kind of road-to-Damascus conversion. Musically, it’s borderline crazy-Zac-song material, complete with kazoos, a junior Hanson’s vocals, handclaps and some interesting choices of vocabulary, with the insertion of words of U.K. provenance like ‘coppers’ and ‘lass’ - the latter rarely even used south of the Scottish border. It might not be to everyone’s taste but for me “Seymour” manages to stay on the right side of quirky without becoming irritating.
Verdict
You got me at ‘no money money money money’. Play!
[Clip of Zac's performance at BTTI 2019]
Reading Your Mind
Another BTTI preview that I remember enjoying back in Jamaica, this song’s quiet intro doesn’t really do justice. What follows is actually a mid-tempo ballad that has been getting stuck in my head since that first spin in Tulsa. The chorus, with its harmonies and Beach Boys-style ooh-oohs is catchy as hell, and makes up for the admittedly predictable Zac style lyrics about obsessive love. So although the slow verse is somewhat unremarkable, every time the chorus comes on I’m sucked back in, and I find myself wanting to hear this song live again. After a couple of years of average Zac leads that all sounded the same, I’m glad to hear something that sounds a little more elaborate, and that employs Zac’s voice at its best, offering opportunities for belting it out as well as moments of subtlety.
Verdict
Play it again, Zac - and bonus points for Isaac on the cello.
[Clip of Zac's performance at BTTI 2019]
Better Days
“You and me/we’re gonna make it together”
Right from the intro, we’re entering “Fame!” territory - and by the time the chorus kicks in, I’m envisioning Hanson breaking into dance and running into Main Street, swiftly joined by all their staff from 3CGs and people from neighbouring cafes and businesses - all singing ‘Better days! Better days are coming!’ as Taylor bashes on the keyboard of a piano that has magically appeared in the middle of the street. In those days we didn’t call such scenes ‘flash mobs’, but if you are old enough to remember the old “Fame!” television series, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
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| Fame! |
I shouldn’t really like this song - it’s a bit too 1980’s and sort of bombastic, but there’s something about it that stops me from hitting the ‘skip’ button. It also sounded pretty damn good live, although I suspect that it will end up buried in the vaults like a lot of EP songs and only come out at fan club events - again, another one that I hope to hear at next year’s BTTI.
Verdict
I wanna live forever! No, wait, wrong song. Never mind - play!
The Final Verdict
Compared to last year’s Animal Instincts, In Real Life feels like a better and bigger effort from the band, with at least three songs - "Compromise", "Seymour" and "Reading Your Mind" - that could easily be album material. Regardless of personal taste, none of the five songs sounds phoned in - there’s no Zac-by-numbers "Goldminer/Ghost Writer/Sophia" and no fun-but-nonsense Isaac-does Chuck-Berry lead. It feels like Hanson have woken up from the torpor of the last couple of years and rediscovered some fire, and although In Real Life is still eclectic in style and ultimately aimed at the hardcore fan base, it’s telling how Hanson are trying to push it to the ‘outside world’ by sharing some of the songs and ‘making of’ videos on YouTube, as if the band are particularly proud of this EP, six years after their last proper studio album, Anthem. It’s almost as if String Theory recharged Hanson’s creative batteries and now the guys are back in the game, ready to fight on, as the title of the next album, Against the World certainly appears to indicate. With two full albums allegedly already in the works, it really does look like better days are coming - better days than before.
Hanson's new members EP "In Real Life" is available as part of the fan club membership. All information on Hanson.net.
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