good shoes: no hope, no future

Good Shoes had some big shoes to fill—their breakout debut was my 6th favourite album of 2007 and "Morden" was my favourite track in the same year. I have been patiently waiting for the band’s sophomore for three years now (while spinning Think Before You Speak on a regular basis); and naturally, I had some high expectations for No Hope, No Future. So after listening to the new album for almost a week, I am happy to say that I am more than satisfied with it! Not much has changed since the last record, No Hope, No Future is slightly, just slightly, more mature, but otherwise, it is once again filled with infectious catchy and energetic DIY indie-pop tunes! The first single, "Under Control" is unbelievably catchy, it has been stuck in my head for the past few days. There are a few unusual sounding tracks on the record: "Everything You Do" stood out when I first heard it because it sounded so different; "Then She Walks Away" is very Foals like; and "City By The Sea" is a non-Good Shoe like ballad with quite beautiful lyrics. Perhaps my favourite track at the moment is "I Know". I absolutely love the melodic song structure; and in a way, it reminds me of "Morden"—the former is a rant about society as a whole while the latter is a commentary on the band’s hometown. No Hope, No Future sounds more cohesive and complete than Think Before You Speak; it feels less choppy while still maintaining that bouncy high-energy tempo. It broke the sophomore curse, and it definitely lived up to the highly anticipated tag... what a great start to 2010!

I Know [wicked-cool song]
Under Control [wicked-cool song]

visit Good Shoes' MySpace here
buy No Hope, No Future here