In the build-up to his fifth album ‘Melodies On Hiatus’, Albert Hammond Jr, by his own account, was “going through changes”. The singer-songwriter, widely known as the lead guitarist and founding member of The Strokes, had just made the move back to Los Angeles in 2021 after calling New York City home for more than two decades. He’d punctuated the pauses in between the aforementioned band’s tours and recording cycles with his own music, releasing four albums since 2006, spanning his honeyed indie debut ‘Yours To Keep’ to 2018’s ‘Francis Trouble‘, which revelled in all of Hammond Jr’s innate precise guitar rock prowess.
But following ‘Francis Trouble’, he was keen to deconstruct his touring band and contrast his previous albums. The shift may have been an attempt to create something completely different: “I’m lucky to be in the most amazing band, so I’ll keep that there and, here, I’ll just be me” as he recently told NME. That mindset manifested 19 tracks that showcase the wealth of the guitarist’s talent and influence, or as he also said in his notes on the album, simply reflect “this guy’s life, sonically.”
Hammond Jr’s life, sonically, happens to involve a love for ‘90s hip-hop, which he places front and centre in the album’s lead single ‘100-99’, which features GoldLink. Emphasising the ins and outs of a contentious relationship at the bridge, the song balances between lyrical admissions and melodic hooks, backed by Hammond Jr’s trademark dexterous and fluctuating guitar parts. Elsewhere, Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders pitches in on driving synth track, ‘Thoughtful Distress’, as Hammond Jr concedes “I’d be the person that you don’t ask if he’s alright cause you’d just know” over blistering percussion.
But if you’re reading between the lines to see which parts of Hammond Jr’s life are sonically being retold, the process may be harder than it looks. A great deal of the lyrics are penned by Canadian writer and poet Simon Wilcox, who has worked with the likes of Blink-182, Poppy, and Fever 333. “These songs reflect behaviours and moments of mine – but as time has gone on, they have taken shape and become universal,” Hammond Jr said of writing with Wilcox. “I think that’s a testament to the words Simon wrote and how they fit with the melodies.”
Having Wilcox transmute Hammond Jr’s auditory ramblings into lyricism works well. In moments like the gritty Americana track ‘Old Man’ or the rockabilly lifting, ‘Memo Of Hate’ where sharp lyricism like “I relived all those nights / on a loop in my mind / can you tell I’m uptight used to be what you liked” meet swift guitar licks, you can hear the fruits of their synergy.
Crucially, it’s been informed by his move from the East to West. Los Angeles is decidedly more sprawling than NYC – you can stand on hills and look towards the horizon without it being blocked by gargantuan skyscrapers. ‘Melodies On Hiatus’, adopts the same spaciousness of the territory it was created in, allowing Hammond Jr to spiral and sprawl out sonically. ‘Melodies On Hiatus’ may seem meandering at times, but eventually it lands where it needs to be.
