Album Review, Kodaline, Politics of Living

Regardless of your opinion on the chart-breaking, pop juggernaut that is Kodaline, only the most mean-spirited would fail to admire the band’s burning ambition. Their third album Politics Of Living firmly asserts that this hunger for greatness, which has thus far taken them to heights so many aspiring rock ‘n’ roll stars merely dream of, has grown even more acute since the release of their 2013 debut In A Perfect World.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Politics of Living had a difficult birth. It was initially scheduled to be released almost a year ago, but the four-piece felt unhappy with the album’s initial incarnation and opted to scrap some of the songs and return to the studio, record company (and fan backlash) be damned.

Needless to say, it was a seriously ballsy move at a pivotal time in their career. Fans will be both delighted and relieved to learn that their bravery has paid off handsomely: the resulting confection should ensure that their stock will continue to grow at an exponential rate.

Boasting an impressive array of hit-making co-writers (including long-time cohort Johnny McDaid from Snow Patrol, Ed Sheeran collaborator Steve Mac and Beyonce/Rag ‘N’ Bone Man tunesmith Johnny Coffer), Politics Of Living sees the Swords natives take another massive stride into the world of mainstream pop superstardom. Along the way, it doffs the cap to the work of Ryan Tedder’s OneRepublic (‘Shed A Tear’) and Maroon 5 (‘Hell Froze Over’).

It is at its best when it employs stadium-rattling backing vocals: a superbly crafted track like the euphoric, falsetto driven pop-rocker ‘Hide And Seek’ is surely destined to score a multitude of TV talent show “journeys” over the months ahead. And for good reason. The mostly a capella ‘I Wouldn’t Be’, meanwhile, successfully flirts with Irish balladry, and promises to be a huge crowd-pleaser when played live.

There are tracks that haven’t grown on me fully yet: opener ‘Follow Your Fire’ has a wistful vibe that I can’t quite get, but songs such as the aforementioned ‘Shed A Tear’ – which has a fragment of Foreigner’s ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ in its DNA – will surely earn them lots of new admirers. Politics Of Living is laden with potential hits and stylishly proves that fortune really does favour the brave.

7/10

Out now.

You can also buy the new Hot Press, with Kodaline on the cover, below!