Just this past Friday, April 8, folk-pop band The Lumineers released their long anticipated second album, “Cleopatra.” While The Lumineers may not be a household name, it’s almost certain that you’ve heard their hit “Ho Hey” or possibly “Stubborn Love” on the radio or on television at some point in the past several years.
The band was formed back in 2002 in New Jersey after the death of drummer Jeremiah Fraite’s brother. As a way to cope, he and frontman Wesley Shultz, a close friend, started writing and performing together. They later found classically-trained cellist Neyla Pekarek to join in 2010, still well before the release of their first album.
As for their new material, we’ve gotten little tastes and tidbits up until this point, but this is the first time their full-length album will actually be available for purchase and listening. The album features three of their singles released to the public in anticipation of their new music: “Ophelia,” “Cleopatra” and “Angela.”
Just a quick listen-through, and it’s clear this album is a solid follow-up to their 2012 self-titled debut. It’s been quite some time in between, as the band did comment on the pressure they were under to follow up their Grammy-nominated platinum debut, but it is most certainly well worth the wait.
The album opens up with a soft new one, “Sleep on the Floor,” directly followed by their single “Ophelia” and so on. In total, they packed this album with 11 new songs, though the entirety of the album clocks in at a total of only 33 minutes.
It has been said that this new album is not as upbeat and poppy as their first. While this may be true, the music, lyrics and melodies carry the strong poignant, folksy feel familiar in their first album, and fans of theirs will likely be pleased with what they hear.
There’s just something very unique about The Lumineers’ sound that has really set them apart from their peers, and it shines in this album.
Not only were fans ready for this second album, but so was the band. Frontman Wesley Schultz has been recorded commenting, “You can only play something for so long before it naturally just gets stale,” this being in reference to their debut.
Even with the pressure the band felt in producing a solid follow-up album, they had help along the way. The completion of the song “Ophelia” really gave them the confidence to power through the rest of the album. This is not to mention President Barackw Obama adding their song “Stubborn Love” to his Spotify playlist. The President’s approval has to be a welcome moral boost.
The band will be embarking on a worldwide tour; unfortunately, this one includes no stops in Pennsylvania. They’ve been adding some more days sporadically, so fingers crossed there’s enough interest in Pa. to garner the attention of The Lumineers.
Lauren Detweiler is a second-year student majoring in English. Message them at LD838069@wcupa.edu