Dissonants
Studio album by
Hands Like Houses
Released26 February 2016
RecordedFebruary - May 2015, Florida, U.S.
Genre
Length44:48
LabelRise, UNFD
ProducerJames Paul Wisner, Erik Ron
Hands Like Houses chronology
Unimagine
(2013)		 Dissonants
(2016)		 Anon.
(2018)
Singles from Dissonants
  1. "I Am"
    Released: 15 March 2015
  2. "New Romantics"
    Released: 2 October 2015
  3. "Colourblind"
    Released: 21 January 2016
  4. "Degrees of Separation"
    Released: 5 May 2016

Dissonants is the third album by Australian rock band Hands Like Houses, released on 27 February 2016. It was preceded by the singles "I Am", released on 15 March and "New Romantics", released on 2 October 2015. The album follows the band's second studio album, Unimagine (2013), and debuted at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums chart. It is the first album to not feature keyboardist Jamal Sabet who left the band back in 2014 to pursue other musical endeavours. In the week of 29 March 2016, "Colourblind" debuted on the US Active Rock chart at No. 49.[2] This is the last album the band released on Rise Records before moving to Hopeless Records in 2017.

Background

Hands Like Houses began recording the album in April 2015. The band worked with James Paul Wisner, whom they had previously worked with on their sophomore effort, Unimagine (2013). After about two months, the band said that the album was near completion. During an interview with ppcorn.com, guitarist Alex Pearson gave a tentative October release date for the album.[3]

Despite a few setbacks, including the cancellation of a headline UK tour in November 2015, the band announced on 18 December 2015 that the album would be released on 26 February 2016 and unveiled the album's full track listing and artwork.[4] The band performed two free acoustic performances with signings in Australia upon the album's release.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blunt Magazine
Currently Streaming[6]
Mind Equals Blown7/10[7]
Mosh9/10[8]
New Noise Magazine[9]
RockRevolt Magazine[10]

The album was met with critical acclaim upon its release. Most critics citing the album's massive choruses, the lyrics, and Trenton Woodley's vocals. Most credited the band's "heavier" sound as part of the album's success.

Writing for Highlight Magazine, Annette Hansen said of the lyrics, "The magic on this record, though, is in the emotional appeal and lush imagery presented in the lyrics. As I kept listening to this album, hearing more and more of the lyrics each time, it was hard not to want to make note of many beautiful lines." She went on to quote songs Colourblind and Stillwater as examples.[11]

Matt Doria of Blunt Magazine praised Woodley's programming and lyrics in particular, writing, "...synths are indefinitely more refined - less obnoxious, but as prevalent as they've ever been. Along with a broadened hot-to-cold singing range, his songwriting has also sharpened tenfold; subject matter is the same as it's always been, but Woodley is no longer appealing exclusively to Newtown hipsters..." [12]

Track listing

All songs written by Hands Like Houses, with additional writers listed [13]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Am"Erik Ron4:19
2."Perspectives"Ron3:57
3."Colourblind"Mike Green3:42
4."New Romantics"Caleb Shomo3:38
5."Glasshouse"Shomo4:20
6."Division Symbols"Green3:40
7."Stillwater"Ron3:48
8."Momentary" 3:14
9."Motion Sickness"Blake Harnage, Lyndsey Gunnulfsen3:35
10."Degrees of Separation"Harnage, Shomo, Gunnulfsen3:41
11."Grey Havens"Beau Burchell3:43
12."Bloodlines" 3:11

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 7
US Billboard 200[15] 68

References

  1. ↑ iTunes staff. "Dissonants by Hands Like Houses". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "America's Music Charts". Mediabase. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Mark. "Hands Like Houses: "A bit of a darker side to the next album"". ppcorn.com. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "NEWS: Hands Like Houses announce new album, 'Dissonants', out February 26th 2016!". DEAD PRESS!. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Neil Z. Yeung. "Dissonants - Hands Like Houses, Songs, Reviews, Credits, AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Kesterson, Kristin (26 February 2016). "Album Review: Dissonants by Hands Like Houses". Currently Streaming. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  7. ↑ M. J. Rawls. "Hands Like Houses - Dissonants". Mind Equals Blown. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Santhi Tara Weiss. "Hands Like Houses - Dissonants Album Review". Mosh (Hit the Floor0. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Nathaniel Lay. "Album Review: Hands Like Houses - Dissonants". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Ted Darden. "ALBUM REVIEW: HANDS LIKE HOUSES - DISSONANTS". RockRevolt Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Annette Hansen. "Review: Hands Like Houses - Dissonants". Highlight Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Matt Doria. "Review: Hands Like Houses - Dissonants". Blunt Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "AllMusic Review by Neil Z. Yeung". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Hands Like Houses – Dissonants". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Hands Like Houses Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
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