Hope Darling + Ensō

Out of Tampa, Florida, comes Hope Darling. I’m tempted to put a comma there, but the band members didn’t, so I guess I can’t. Oh, well. We’re not here to critique band names or the spelling of them, we’re here to thoroughly review (and critique) Hope Darling’s very first full-length album, entitled Ensō.

What is Ensō, other than the misspelling of a common Italian name? A quick Google-search reveals it to be “a circle hand-drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create”, which is pretty much exactly what Hope Darling’s press release-kit said. I should probably trust more. And definitely brush up on my Zen-knowledge. Either way: Ensō is supposed to be an emotional, beautiful, melodic and well-assembled debut album. Does it live up to the expectation and hype? Spike Lee seems to love these guys, which should count for something. The bar has been set, so let’s rock!

“Let’s rock”. I don’t know if that is a familiar saying to the guys in Hope Darling, especially going off of the two first tracks on Ensō. “Burning Light” represents an extremely poppy and catchy start to the album, a feel that is driven home by the slightly slower, yet still annoyingly happy “Don’t Wake me Up”. At this point, I’m well aware that this ain’t my thing, but something not being down my dark, aggression and testosterone-filled metal alley, is not the same as something being bad. We’re off to a decent start, and if you like Foo Fighters then we’re probably off to a great start. If you’re a sucker for radio friendly pop with some oomph, then you’re already in heaven.

Even I’m enjoying myself when “Lifeline” kicks in, partly because it proves that Spike Lee has pretty decent taste, and partly because it is actually a good song. The vocals take center stage as they are full of power, life and range, but the song is also elevated beyond simple radio-pop of decent quality thanks to the general musicianship. This is a pop-rock anthem that sheds some of that Foo Fighters inspiration and establishes a sound that one might say is the sound of Hope Darling. It is not a unique sound that you’ve never heard before, but it is the sound of fairly high-quality pop rock and I can definitely see “Lifeline” receiving a lot of radio-time over the next year or so.

And then the album carries on, pretty much in the same, poppy way as established by the first three tracks. “Lifeline” remains the standout song, and there’s very little of note both negatively and positively for quite a while. The majority of the songs here are nice. They’re not particularly creative or mind-blowing, but they are well performed, nicely structured pop songs that more often than not settles into pretty much the same line. You will not be surprised by this album, but if mild pop rock is your thing, then you’re bound to love it.

Luckily, we do receive some excitement from the last two tracks on Ensō. I don’t want to spend too much time on “It Was Always You” because it is clearly the weakest track on the whole record and it, simply put, should be deleted. The production is lacking, the vocals are weak and faltering and the whole thing just feels wrong. But then comes “Absolution” and it does a wonderful job. I can honestly not think of a better way to close this type of album than the way Hope Darling does here and that deserves to be noted as it displays some important understanding of placement, flow and all of that. If I was to ever listen to a quiet, ethereal pop song that feels a little bit too Jesus-y for my liking, this one might be it.

Hope Darling is a band that already has some wind under their wings thanks to Spike Lee and his TV show, which makes a debut like this even more daunting. The important thing is to stay coherent and show that you can deliver something that doesn’t stink, but these guys must be tempted to set the world on fire, given their early success. They end up doing neither. Ensō is about as metal as a bag of tea, but it is very decent pop rock that should fill a void for anyone who loves Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran and others of that ilk. I would like to see these guys pack a bit more of a punch next time, but I find myself wanting to hear more, which is always a good thing.

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