World Comes Calling - Midnight Youth

Wow. The new Midnight Youth is not what I expected, but I love it. Somewhere between the band's delightfully catchy debut album, The Brave Don't Run, and the recent release of World Comes Calling, these Kiwis turned into rock stars. Last time, the hook-laden hits were fantastic pop singalong-starters. This round, Midnight Youth sounds ready to rock stadiums. My only complaint about the new album is that it is too short. These songs are so epic and catchy that I simply am not satisfied with only ten.

Much like the band's debut, this entire album is grandiose, with guitar solos in just about every song and dramatic choruses chock full of gang vocals. The fierce first half of World Comes Calling is guaranteed to have fans pogoing and moshing in no time, while the second half is a bit softer and more reflective, although the hooks never stop. Midnight Youth is admirably experimenting with its sound, rather than making album after album with the same style. Some standout tracks include "The Street," "Come One Come All," and "Too Young To Wonder," but really, all the songs are great.

The New Zealand band is huge at home, but with this new album, they sound ready to take over internationally. I had to send away to the other side of the world for the first album, because after scouring the internet, there was simply no other way to get ahold of it here in the States. This time around, I simply had to wait an extra couple of weeks and the album was available on the U.S. iTunes. I'm going to be optimistic here and assume this means the rest of the world is finally starting to catch on, albeit slowly. So really, there's no excuses now; start paying attention to Midnight Youth.

They may look tough and intimidating, but I swear, the music is really fun.