Album Review: Haley Moley’s “Everybody Wins”

Do you like the eighties?  Well it turns out they’re back!  Did they ever really go away?  Not for our heroes like Haley Moley…

No seriously I’m not going to start out this review like that.  Even though in certain respects it would be totally fair; Haley Moley’s music does owe so much to eighties music it’d be foolish not to mention it. But it’s not about nostalgia; it’s not like they do it because they’re longing for a bygone era or perhaps their own earlier years. And it’s certainly not to cash in on some passing fad (or if it is it doesn’t make sense; although the eighties recycle is still going in many sectors, its lucrative heyday is itself a bygone era).

With Haley Moley it’s a sincere love of a certain group of groups that were around and in their prime in the eighties — which lends itself to an eclectic mix that sounds very… eighties. Til Tuesday, The Smiths, Peter Gabriel, the Cure… great artists that came out of and made their best albums in the eighties.  And to me (and Haley Moley of course) whose music has stood the test of time and been found still relatable and worthy of reproduction.  This is what they’re building on, not ‘imitating’.

And despite the undeniable eighties influence, much more is evident in the songs (it’s not like anyone lives in a vacuum, especially not anyone that clearly loves music as much as all the members of Haley Moley).  Traces of the National (specifically in the rhythm section/percussion), Beach House (mood and instruments), and even an identifiable bit of Kate Bush (oh wait, did I go back to the eighties for that?  Meh, who cares — what’s this obsession with decades I/we have anyway?!) are also present.  The songs are clearly of this era yet longing for the best parts of a bygone era, parts that perhaps have been ignored but have a lot more space to be developed.

As soon as you pop on Everybody Wins, a late twentieth century pop song sound and structure is immediately recognizable in leading track “Deep Silence.”  It’s like a lost B-side of one of the happier, poppier (but still somehow how deeply emotional and underlined with sorrow) Cure or Smiths’ tracks. But faster paced, shorter (all the tracks are about a standard 3 to 4 minutes), and really much catchier.  And standard verse chorus bridge verse chorus structures and variations that were crystallized in the eighties is here and on most of the tracks.

And the catchy retro vibe continues with “Snow Blind.”  However, as much as “Deep Silence” has a straightforward, uptempo vibe, “Snow Blind” is more like most of Haley Moley’s catalogue in terms of the great range of emotions it expresses.  As is the following track “Everybody Wins,” on which this range that I appreciate most about Haley Moley is fully exhibited.  Yes all the songs are catchy, yes they’re mostly upbeat, but there’s usually a healthy if not large dose of introversion, sorrow, and an overwhelmingly pensive atmosphere.

Though through the introversion and thoughtful aspects one certainly detects an underlying conclusion of, if not positivity, at least self determination; as “Everyone Wins” makes clear:

It’s not up to someone else

It’s all up to you

It’s not up to everyone

All in, all in with all you do

“Everybody Wins” by Haley Moley

Similarly, “Deep Silence” (sorry for going backward here, perhaps you’ll see where I’m going with this or perhaps I’m just lazy) tells the tale of a figure we want to trust and admire that seems to be letting us down:

You ghosted us for the wider view

The fate of strangers mattered most

Deep silence, silence equals death, doesn’t it?…

You always chose the wider view

The plight of many, not the few

“Deep Silence” by Haley Moley

— Where is this moral authority we’re counting on and longing for?  The answer’s unclear, but in the meantime, you have to figure things out for yourself.      

Truth is, although the title’s a happy sounding “Everybody Wins,” and most of the songs are upbeat and (even though ruminative) for the most part optimistic sounding, the lyrics and themes presented (on the title track most fervently) are anecdotes of the struggle between the positives of existence and nihilism — which many just refer to as existentialism (it’s complicated and I don’t really understand it myself — if anyone gets Nietszche’s metaphor of eternal return PLEASE LMK ASAP).  The title might just as well be “Waiting for Godot.” 

And who can blame them?  These are decidedly dark times we’ve been living through lately, and the darkest part about them is that we’ve lost our authorities in every respect.  The pandemic exposed not only the ever unpredictably potentially catacylsmically danger of existence on Earth, but perhaps more devastatingly the realization that those in charge aren’t any smarter or wiser than the rest of us.  And without humanity’s previous history of the strength of faith in higher powers, more and more are coming to recognize that it is ‘all up to you’.  And it’s, honestly, either terrifying or just endlessly hopeless.  And as “No Difference” argues later in the album, no matter if it is up to us:

Find a way to live, find a way to give

It’s your goal to serve more than they deserve

Sleep well at night

Hope you made it right

You do what you can do

You do what you can

It makes no difference

“No Difference” by Haley Moley

That may just be the most overwhelmingly concise description of the ultimate futility of life I’ve ever heard… even if it is up to us (ESPECIALLY if it’s up to us).  

The standout track by far is “Amy.”  This is just the kind of song that’s so transcendently good it’s undeniable.  And while it calls to mind the understated groove and moodiness of Beach House, the vocals are mixed at the top like a hit pop song.  And it’s a good thing they are because the chorus is an outstanding example of the kind of soaring harmonies and melodies one might find in, say, a Heart song, or one by Low or any other number of contemporary groups that have found a uniquely beautiful vocal style that hearkens back to older times when instruments had less of an impact and you couldn’t ever hide behind them (Mrs. Coleman certainly does NOT).

By “Narcissus,” there’s a definite mood that’s set in and recognizable.  One that continues with “Somebody’s Fool” and “Codes” — the songs are certainly distinguishable, but all characterized by conventional song structures, rolling bass lines and synth accents, interesting guitar parts coming in at expected and unexpected points.  All the instruments and parts hit at the right points and make the songs catchy and sweet enough to get better with each listen and get stuck in your head, but after sometime with the record the reason why Haley Moley has released only EPs to this point becomes clear.  A full album of these tracks gets repetitive and while not entirely predictable, a bit too structured.  Everything comes in at the right time, but in a way that’s not always a good thing.  And while the songs are each good in their own right, they start to blend together (especially in this trio of tracks).    

“Supertaster,” on the other hand, certainly distinguishes itself (if not in the best way to my ears).  This could’ve been a hit on eighties pop radio.  The chorus featuring the song title ‘Supertaster’ word in a catchy ear worm of overpowering vocals is certainly reminiscent of the songs you’d hear on eighties radio (if you like those of us old people were around and listening then).  The theme of the song seems to be about a person that has the ability to enjoy all the aspects of life, moreso than average and perhaps even too much, hence the ‘supertaster’ that having too many nerves on their tongue is overwhelmed by all the sensations they experience at once.  

“No Difference” begins on a more New Order type roll in, and becomes a danceable (post-disco) yet somewhat sullen synth driven track with the sultry alto vocals of Jennifer Maher Coleman effected with a good deal of echo so that you can hear every note she sings a few times, reminding you of just how good and well thought out each of the vocals and their written parts are.  And as mentioned previously like the sullen undertones, the undeniable existentialism of the song is thrown upon us, the futility of effort in life laid bare. It’s a stark assessment.  

The last track was previously released on the EP Strikes Again, however, this version is different, specifically in being slightly sped up and fully fleshed out.  Taking advantage of the stronger production values on this album, its presence is also a result of the fact that this is a terrific track that deserves mu,ltiple presentations on multiple releases.  The highly in depth one line chorus “Souvenirs collapse the years” is after all a brilliant saying that everyone can relate to at once, how looking at a picture album or even a bunch of chatckes from a vacation, say, brings all your memories of different eras together and defines your life in a quick and dirty way.  And this is really an unnecessary aside, but it really reminds me that when it comes down to it, production values really don’t matter all that much.  When I hear the song in my head it sounds like both of the versions.  Only when I can listen to them both side by side do I even realize most of the changes; the vocals, the instrumental (whether on piano or synth) that stands out, and the themes that stand out in the lyrics are what I really recall about the tracks.  

For a first album Everybody Wins doesn’t come off very strong as a result of the repetitive, similar tracks.  I think that the group would be better off sticking to EPs; only at that point can one appreciate all the tracks individually.  When they’re all put together like this they kind of meld and get a bit tiresome after too many.  However the tracks are for the most part incredibly strong, some certainly more so than others.  And while there are a couple of misfires, the transcendence of the good tracks certainly leaves you with an overall impression of the quality of the songs and the quality of the group (if not the entirety of the album).  To me what’s really great is how in depth the lyrics and themes are; if you’re really listening and you really pay attention in a lot of ways this is a doom album.  With unlikeable characters, untrustworthy gods, and a self determination over a life that’s ultimately futile, the picture painted is one of great complexity yet overwhelmingly existence indicting simplicity.  As you’re drawn into the album, it’s even appropriate that things become, like life and the ‘days of our lives’ (I probably could’ve made that funnier but I think just the reference to a soap opera is funny enough — do you?) more downbeat and repetitive.  And at the end of it, all we’re left doing is pondering ‘souvenirs’.