No shame in revealing your true intentions. In the case of Los Angeles band Hands, they take it a step further and wear their emotions on their sleeve. Even that may be an understatement.

Take, for example, the title of their debut album: Synesthesia. Never heard of Hands? With only the album title to aid the image I’m sure you’ve still got a pretty good picture in your head by now. Not bashful of their dance-floor-ready, pop-minded, synthesizer-fueled intentions, Hands slaps you with album opener “Trouble”. The track is as good a promotion of the group’s style as it is a starting block for the album to dive from.

Funky tunes blurt a quick warning and you’re all too quickly submerged in the already upbeat voices of this rising quartet. No time is wasted as the song starts in top gear and hits you early with its true feel. I told you Hands doesn’t play around. To top it off, the delay isn’t much longer before the synthesizer and über-catchy guitar riffs jump in. Enjoy guitar that provokes arm movements to accompany dance moves over arm movements to rule an air-guitar? Then keep listening. You read the disclaimer; you heard the signs, and you found your riff-heavy track. “Trouble” delivers a fun approach and steadily maintains the energy and quality of a synthesizer dance tune throughout. 

About The Author

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A Madison native and UW graduate, Chris Kraemer lives and breathes between Monona and Mendota. His passion for experiencing an album in its entirety helps him feel at home while frequently apart from his beloved isthmus.