1. Head Shoulders Knees Toes // 2. Overdrive // 3. Hot Blue Shoes // 4. Caffeine Rush // 5. Overthinking // 6. Here For You

HOT BLUE SHOES

I’m not sure what a “hot blue shoe” is, but it definitely paints an image in your head. If you thought TWS got hip-hop out of their system on this album with Head Shoulders Knees Toes, you’re wrong. We’ve got a second hip-hop track here — with a rock twist. This isn’t my favorite sound for TWS, but there’s still plenty to enjoy here.

The crunchy, guitar-focused instrumental does a lot of heavy lifting. While Overdrive polished its guitar into a fine pop sheen, the production here is more raw. Take TWS out of the equation and the instrumental would almost be at home on an indie rock album of the 2000s.

Of course, TWS are very much part of the equation here. They dominate the verses with powerful vocals that help to ease the potentially grating chant that runs through the track and goes on to forge its chorus. This approach gives the group’s hip-hop tracks a flavor unique to them. It’s quirky rather than stereotypically “badass.” Hot Blue Shoes‘s bratty hook will take more time to gel with me, but like this spring’s Freestyle I can see this growing to become an unexpected highlight in the long run.

Grade: B-