By Niy Birden
The 3-year hiatus is a long and complicated one for music lovers. On one hand you don’t want to risk being annoyed with your music obsession after only one year, because you want to give them time (it’s an artist thing) and you don’t want to hate them (it’s a Stan thing). But on another hand, you also don’t want them to play around with your musical hearts, and instead let you consume the product that they so carefully place in front of you. 2 years is sufficient because it allows breathing time and a moment of clarity for both you and the artist. But three years?
That’s completely insane. What could possibly be so important for a 3-year break in recording and releasing new music? It seems like the best musical growths we’ve seen in the music industry happen around a 3-5 year hiatus. And these are of course by the top-ranking artists we’ve had in the last ten years. That’s Bruno Mars, Adele, Beyonce, and even Taylor Swift, who recently abandoned her 2-year break method to approach us with her new upcoming album. Apparently for rock band The Script, it can mean a lot. And 4 albums previously in your discography is a good excuse for a well-deserved break.
For those of you not who don’t listen to musicians hailing from Ireland, The Script is a lovely band from Dublin, who rose to fame in the late 2000’s with their self-titled album. They have also shown a legitimate knack for songwriting with their early hits “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”, “Live Like We’re Dying” (which was later covered by American Idol winner Kris Allen), “Hall of Fame”, and everyone’s personal favorite (including yo momma’s) “Breakeven”, which has been the subject of many popular YouTube and singing competition covers around the world. Although the band hasn’t made a huge international impact in the same way other similar bands have, the work that they have done for heartwarming rock ballads have given them a solid fan base that’s allowed them to tour and release more chart-topping albums in those few years.
Which is why their new album, Freedom Child, comes at such a big surprise in the midst of all the pop, hip hop and r&b overload that’s come out recently. It’s almost a bit surprising that they did come back in the way they did, and during the time that they did. It’s even more surprising that they didn’t include a hip hop guest contribution, considering how many of our most traditional musicians are adapting to the hip hop aesthetic.
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