Inhabited

Inhabited returns to the musical fray with their sophomore record, Love. After a lukewarm reception to the band’s debut, The Revolution, the band has a lot to prove with this one. Produced by Monroe Jones and released by forward thinking independent label 7 Spin Music, Love is at the very least a more eclectic ride and at best a solid step forward.

This album can be summed up with one simple word: anthem. Inspired by the stories of the band’s fans, this album is anthem after anthem for the hurting, the lost, the found, and just about everyone in between. Lyrically, listening to this album is kind of like being in at a party with a diverse group of people. Every person you talk to has the same basic needs but they all have unique histories that made them who they are. Meanwhile Love is all over the place. From in-your-face rockers to funkier numbers to plenty of bubblegum pop hooks and even a stop here and there with a hip hop/pop influence (“Hush” is nearly a Gwen Stefani knock off).

“We Will Live” addresses the idea of “minimizing God and maximizing our obstacles,” something which likely describes everyone at said party, right? “Hush” and “Respect” attack the media’s image of females and the seemingly insurmountable pressures placed upon them and demand that they stand together and break the cycle. “Song to the Fatherless” is just as it sounds, a resounding trumpet call (only without the trumpet) reminding the fatherless that “God will never walk out on you/He’ll be the father you never knew.” “I Miss You” deals with the death of a loved one and the regret that often follows.

“Old School,” “One Show” and “We Will Live” fill a different void. While much of the album is deeply rooted lyrically, the theme among this well-placed trio leans more towards the entertainment side of Inhabited. Obviously intended as crowd energizers, the songs release the heavy hand a bit at all the right times. “Old School” even has a Joan Jett-style swagger to it that is pretty darn catchy. These songs also offer a bit of consistency that the album somewhat lacks overall. They sort of loosely tie everything together musically.

While Love is a certain improvement over Inhabited’s debut it still feels a little empty musically. Too often the songs tread uncomfortably close to what Superchick does. So close that you might wonder whether or not this is Superchick stripped down. The band sound inspired on Love and the stories behind the songs are wonderful but you can’t escape the fact that this album feels all over the place and very familiar. When this band truly finds their feet they’ll be amazing but that doesn’t happen on Love.

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