I haven't been following Architecture in Helsinki too much since the underwhelming, Places Like This. In 2011 they released, Moment Bends, which almost completely flew under my radar. I once again almost missed another album cycle with their new record, Now + 4EVA. Following their sophomore output, In Case We Die, the group began to lean more towards synth-pop and by Moment Bends, had nearly abandoned what made them so distinctive. It was slower, stale, and lacked much of what made the band so fun. Now + 4EVA does a better job of regaining that unique Architecture in Helsinki sound while continuing to delve into the synth-pop form. Is it enough to keep our attention?
Now + 4EVA gets started with, "In the Future." As someone who still listens to In Case We Die regularly, this sounded like the Architecture in Helsinki I know and love but more mature. It's followed up with a catchy, swirling cover of Jackie DeShannon's, "When You Walk in The Room." The band does a great job of adding their own dance twist to the original acoustic track. Another good combination of older and current Helsinki comes out of, "I Might Survive." It's probably the most mainstream sounding track they've done to date. Now if you're looking for something classic and more fun, you'll find your usual clapping and anthemic choruses in "Dream a Little Crazy." Cameron Bird starts the next song, "Boom (4eva)" with a bit of overly dramatic vocals, as it eases into a stellar groove. It's one of the better smooth tempo songs they've done.
We reach a point in the album, where it sort starts to fall apart. It's doesn't necessarily get bad, but it gets boring. "U Tell Me" has a great rhythm to it, but at times, it drags and goes too slow. "Echo" feels and sounds exactly as it's named. It's another slow number that doesn't bring much to the record. Up Next is, "Born to Convince You." This one is a solid track despite being the black sheep of the album. The guitar has more presence on this one song then on the entire rest of the album combined. It actually kind of takes you by surprise when it begins. I know I've been giving them flack for drifting away from their older sound and "Born to Convince You" is probably the most distancing, but it's arguably the best track on the record. However, it would have served the album better had it been left off as a b-side since it doesn't quite fit the tone of the rest of the record.
Kellie Sutherland delivers another lifeless number that continues to slow the album down. While Sutherland's "2 Time" slowed it down, Bird's, "April," practically brought it to a stop. It's nearly painful just to get through the dull track. The excessive use of auto-tune didn't help. They try to close the record on a more high note with, "Before Tomorrow." It's a little more energetic and upbeat, but I can't help feeling like it's too late.
Architecture in Helsinki's fifth album, Now + 4EVA started off pretty decent, but it starts to go downhill halfway through due to sluggish songs being all lumped together. Had they spaced them out, if might not have felt so long. They're on the right track to maintaining the cheery sound and joyful compositions while exploring new territory, but they're not quite there yet.
