Cold War Kids' members have tried, and at times struggled, to balance form and function between their lofty subject matter and jarring melodies. But the California band's efforts usually pay off. Its recent Behave Yourself EP, Cold War Kids' first studio release since 2008's Loyalty to Loyalty, reveals some of the group's most cohesive songs yet.
"Audience" is especially accessible: Catchy and sweet, the song finds its soul in heavy-hitting piano and minimal layering, as well as striking images of anxiety and wanderlust, from black velvet cake to linoleum floors to windshield wipers.
Singer Nathan Willett's style can be unsettling — he typically spits out lyrics rather than savoring them — but he hits on his ideal range with "Audience," gliding along with the words and sustaining some silvery "ooohs" between verses. The most joy in "Audience" can be found in the ambient sounds and backing choral vocals during lines like "You came out from the country / wearing Mama's clothes / You were born in the city / Daddy's dominos."
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