The Jealous Sound

Five years after the release of their last album, 2003’s full-length effort, Kill Them with Kindness, the Jealous Sound offer Got Friends, a five-song, digital-only EP.

The title track as well as the second track, “Turning Around,” both deliver straightforward pop-rock songs with no shortage of clever hooks and the soft-but-assertive vocal style fans might expect. The real high point of the EP, though, is the third track, “Broad Shoulders.” The thumpy, melodic bassline coupled with conservative drum patterns does a beautiful job driving the song and provides the perfect backdrop for Blair Shehan to display his trademark vocal and lyrical style. Lines like “Let's make a pact that everyone’s wrong / And whatever the cost, we can’t turn this off / And it won’t be long until we get carried away” set the tone for a song about optimism and the pursuit of love.

The latter two songs on the album are remixes of the title track, one of which is done by band member John McGinnis and the other by Figurine (featuring Jimmy Tamborello, of Postal Service fame). The more bass-heavy John McGinnis remix is the stronger of the two as he does a better job of composing the electronics around Shehan’s recorded vocal track. With the Figurine remix, there are times when the vocals come across as choppy and uncharacteristically abrasive in comparison with the backing arrangements.

As a whole, Got Friends picks up where Kill Them with Kindness left off, presenting a handful of masterfully crafted, engaging pop-rock songs that should both keep current fans paying attention and spark the interest of new listeners. It’s a far cry from the full-length album that fans have spent the last five years hoping for and speculating about, but Got Friends should suffice until the next full-length effort, so long as it doesn’t take another half-decade.