You could be easily forgiven for thinking that the young indie rockers, Inhaler, would stick to the formula that has already served them so well for album number three. The Dublin lads had soared to success with their first two albums, seeing them reach the top of the UK and Ireland album charts with their 2021 debut It Won’t Always Be Like This, followed by number two on the charts with their sophomore album Cuts & Bruises in 2023.
But there has been no sign of any laurel-resting, and the group return with their third album with a clear sign of willingness to both refine and expand their sound. Where they came to the fore with an indie rock style that evoked late 2000’s Arctic Monkeys combined with a dashing of The Killers, they’ve expanded their wheelhouse and taken the lead from influences such as Prince and Depeche Mode.
The result is Open Wide, the title itself a reference to the quartet opening themselves up to change rather than playing it safe and sticking with what has worked so far. Opener “Eddie in the darkness” sets a moody, late-night scene with Eli Hewson’s vocals drenched in reverb and soulful piano chords over a steady beat. Suddenly, a guitar scrape cuts through and the chorus erupts out into an expansive, encompassing space.
The momentum keeps pace with “Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)”, a pleasing danceable tune that signals the variety through the rest of the album. The singles “Your House”, “A Question Of You” and title track follow, each a mix of hooks and catchy melodies. In all, there is plenty on Open Wide to show that through embracing change Inhaler point to a burgeoning maturity; their nuanced mix of influences, deftly combined makes it very easy to forget they are still so early in their music careers.
This is perhaps best seen on “Still Young”, which belies their youth with a heady, thoughtful anthem evocative of their contemporary Sam Fender. By showing such a willingness to adapt, but without a wholesale change – there's still touches of more strait-laced indie-rock dashed throughout – Inhaler put down a clear indicator that they mean to stay around for a long, long while yet.
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