This record served as the fourth quarter follow-up, a little "something extra," to the band's latest album, Can't Make Any Promises, which was released in March of 2023. Watching a Fire has more of the band's trademark homespun warmth and lo-fi charm, where sweet pop rock tunes coexist with more solemn introspective moments.
“Trouble” is a light and hooky indie rock track, not quite twee, but certainly not aggressive either. The melodic bass immediately takes center stage, locking in with simple folk-rock drums and acoustic guitar strums. Pat Graham describes how he’s “in trouble all of the time,” because he’s the talking kind, hence the band name.
The lo-fi album oozes the same unrefined, saturated melodies of indie’s past while toying with idiosyncrasies that create a unique sound. Blistering guitar solos, mellow vocals, and harmonic distortion perfectly chart Radiator Hospital’s dedication to their home-made aesthetic while proving the range they’ve developed over the past decade.
Can’t Make Any Promises is Radiator Hospital’s first new record in four years. Their fifth album for Salinas Records (Quaker Wedding, Freezing Cold, Vacation) comes exactly twenty years to the day of the label’s first release, and if that ain’t reason to celebrate, the music is. Recorded in their Philly practice space, they’ve never sounded better.
On Radiator Hospital's newest offering, Sings ‘Music For Daydreaming’ Cook-Parrot has gone back to his original bedroom-esque singer-songwriter roots. Everything on this release was written and performed by him, as lo-fi qualities of earlier Radiator Hospital releases have been replaced with a polished, hi-fi sensibility.
Radiator Hospital’s delightful and vital new album Play The Songs You Like, like many of the best records, functions as a companion for aging amidst the current malaise. Beyond being an exceptional rock album, it is a deeply sentimental look at what happens in any life, from a band that has always excelled on such a minutely grandiose level.
