Story by Carolina Galindo
Staff Writer
Rate: 4/5
After an 11-year hiatus, Gwen Stefani and the rest of her band have finally released their highly anticipated new album, Push and Shove.
Unlike many other veteran artists, No Doubt has managed to stay away from the cookie cutter pop sound that everyone seems to be using these days, leaving their sixth album with more of an 80’s synthpop feel, similar to artists like Depeche Mode and Joy Division.
“Settle Down,” the first single and track of the album, has quickly become a favorite to longtime fans and new listeners alike. The song starts off with a cultural instrumental which slowly builds up the anticipation for the bass line to come in strongly. The lyrics give a sense of empowerment and pride which makes everyone’s “Top 25 Most Played” playlist on their mp3 players.
The ninth track off of the album, titled “Sparkle,” incorporated that signature, reggae, ska sound that listeners know and love. Big name critics have been giving the band praise for this song.
Many of the songs—like “Looking Hot,” “ Undercover,” “Gravity,” and “Heaven” — have an upbeat rhythm that are fun to listen and dance to while other songs such as “Easy,” “Undone,” and “Dreaming the Same Dream” have a much slower tempo and are more emotional. In their the song, “One More Summer,” Gwen’s lyrics express her nostalgia for her younger and earlier years with the band, which attract the younger listeners who love being given any chance to feel invincible while taking older listeners back to their “glory days.”
Picking the track, “Push and Shove,” for the second single was right on point because of its radio-friendly satisfying sound that fans have been longing for. The highlight of this particular track is that it has the horn section just like their older hit singles “Spider Webs” and “Bathwater” which can possibly earn the band numerous awards.
Despite being forty years old with eight kids in total, members of No Doubt prove to be young at heart with the same amount of passion that they gave in the 90’s. Now the ultimate question that everyone seems to be asking, “Was it worth the 11 year wait?”
