''Love Songs Drug Songs'' is the third and major-label debut EP by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
X Ambassadors
X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York. Its members currently include lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member that plays guitar and ...
, released on May 7, 2013.
It spawned one single: "Unconsolable".
Composition
Shannon Carlin of Radio.com described the style of ''Love Songs Drug Songs'' as being "in the vein of old '60s
soul, '90s
R&B, and
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
".
Matt Collar of
AllMusic stated, "Musically, X Ambassadors build a percussive mix of synthesizers, booming drums, and atmospheric guitar lines around vocalist Sam Harris' yearning, robust cry" while revealing "their love for mixing
contemporary R&B inflections with a sweeping, '80s
new wave sensibility".
According to X Ambassadors frontman Sam Harris, the album is inspired by the "bizarre" and "dreary" town of
Ithaca that is "rainy and cold for 80 percent of the time".
Nadia Noir of
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock").
The stat ...
noted the "sly irreverence and naughty
hip-hop style sexual references in some of the songs" on the album.
Speaking of the message of the EP, Harris stated, "I don’t know what we want to say. But we have to say something."
Critical reception
Writing for
AllMusic, Matt Collar rated ''Love Songs Drug Songs'' four stars out of five, calling it "a passionate, literate, and moving collection".
In a very positive review, Robert Treves of Indie Current said the album "is packed full of triumphant, genre-blending tracks." He commented, "X Ambassadors
..have really defined their own sound throughout this release."
Track listing
Personnel
;X Ambassadors
*Sam Harris – vocals, guitar
*Casey Harris – keyboard
*Noah Feldshuh – guitar
*Adam Levin – drums
Charts
References
2013 EPs
X Ambassadors albums
Kidinakorner albums
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