Review: Movement - The Riot Police

ALBUM: Movement ARTIST: The Riot Police RELEASED: March 23, 2018 GENRE: Indie pop-rock/power pop

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This album comes in strong with 'Keep on Dreaming.' It kind of gives off the vibe that this is one of those really cute albums that you listen to all summer long.

Which isn't totally true. I mean, sure, the songs on the album all definitely have that catchy, poppy undertone that we all know and love. But if you listen closely, you'll notice that lyrically, there's quite a lot to unpack.

But before I get into the cool lyricism, I'd also like to mention that that melodically, I'm also a big fan of this album. In general I'm pretty picky of things that are too poppy, but Movement didn't feel like a pop record. It still has lots of indie-rock elements throughout. It's not too repetitive, and you can hear distinct guitar chords and vocal harmonies.

Movement is one of those albums that have cleverly disguised intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics underneath catchy, poppy melodies. Which I am honestly a huge fan of. One moment you're just sitting there, grooving along, and the next you're asking yourself if this song is about people getting murdered (spoiler: yes, it is, and it's my favourite track).

A lot of the little nuances of this album are quite subtle. There are subtle references throughout, all reflecting back to the title of the record - Movement.

And to me, that's what this whole album is about. It's about growing, moving, evolving, and staying positive in a world full of turmoil.

I won't go into a huge lyrical analysis - one of the interesting things I found about this album was being able to go back and listen to it over and over again, discovering unique, subtle aspects each time. I think everyone should have that experience.

The album is one you should really listen to in order, to get the full experience. I think starting with 'Keep on Dreaming' (which as I mentioned earlier, is a nice, catchy tune to start of the album), was very smart. It pulls the listener in. As the album continues, that is when it makes you turn inward, and think about what the lyrics are actually implying. The build-up gets stronger and stronger, until 'Chicago' is the album's peak. Then the songs start to fade in intensity after that. The album ends with 'Tomorrow,' a slower track about moving forward and staying authentic to yourself. Overall, I thought it was a really good album, and is definitely something you can listen to from start to finish, over and over again.

FAVOURITE TRACK: 'Chicago' is definitely, without a doubt, my favourite track. These lyrics are not at all subtle. It quite explicitly talks about gun violence in the city and then reflects on the similarities here in Toronto. There's really no other way around it, gun violence affects us all. Just recently, there was a shooting here in Toronto that killed a popular local rapper. This song is interesting because unlike the other tracks on the album, it's not subtle, not in the slightest. I think this was done on purpose, to show that gun violence isn't subtle. People getting killed in the streets isn't something that you don't notice. It's very "in your face." This track really defines the album, and I love it.