Cold War Kids: Dear Miss Lonely Hearts

Compared to their British counterparts, American bands have historically had a sweet deal in so far as they are allowed to grow up at their own pace. From REM to Modest Mouse and The National, there is a long tradition of US groups breaking out on their fourth or fifth album, by which point they have matured as songwriters and individuals, and so are less likely to veer off the rails at the first hint of media attention. But the rise of blogger culture has brought about a shortening of attention spans in the US and the emergence of short-term buzz as a cultural force.

Releasing their debut album in 2006, Southern California’s Cold War Kids were among the first American outfits to, much against their will you suspect, ride the hype train. All over magazine covers and the late night shows before they’d even put a record out, there was something depressingly inevitable about their failure to live up to the excitement. In their early 20s and with a stadium sound that was not quite fully fleshed out, they seemed in danger of wilting in the media glare before fully working out what sort of band they wanted to be. Seven years later, the attention has moved on and, with their fourth long player, indications are that Cold War Kids are last fulfilling their potential. As Arcade Fire-esque opener ‘Miracle Mile’ underscores, the group have a flair for roof-raising emoting, a talent that has not always had an opportunity to shine in the poky clubs they’ve been headlining. Here, their sound reaches for the heavens: with its whooshing of guitars and synths, ’Lost That Easy’ sounds like a hipster Muse; the tremulous ‘Loner Phase’ presides over a shotgun marriage of LCD Soundystem and The National. After half a decade of false starts, Cold War Kids have, it seems, finally arrived.