Album review: Cold Night For Alligators – The Hindsight Notes

Cold Night For Alligators have traded in their heavier music for a softer sound on The Hindsight Notes, leaving behind the confines of metal for something more experimental. The result is the most fully-realised music they’ve put out so far. That’s clear from the first bright synth note of Behind Curtains, an atmospheric track rounded out by crisp vocals and booming drums.

There are lots of shifts in the songs, but everything – even the surprise saxophone solo on No Connection – feels earned. Worn Out Mannequin throws the most curveballs, with the drums building to a heavy chorus but then instead cutting to a quiet moment before a choir enters, only for screamed vocals to come out of seemingly nowhere. But it works. The use of synths overall is impressive, with synths and guitar weaving together on No Connection.

The Hindsight Notes turns out to be a perfect example of go big or go home. It’s the most theatrical moments where everything clicks and the band excel, whether it’s the explosive Thin Lines, or Adjust, a more gentle, pared-back song. Ending songs that are as sprawling as these is a challenge, but they manage to stick the landing, especially on the string-heavy final minutes of Water, which shows off vocalist Johan Pedersen’s vocal range, and closer Hindsight, which layers together sounds for a dramatic finish to the album. It never feels too over-the-top.

But there are still parts which don’t deliver. A couple of the choruses tend to not hit as hard as the rest of the song and it feels too repetitive at times, especially on Dusty Patterns. There are far more exciting than dull moments on the album, though, like the guitar solos, and the sinister and foreboding Nostalgic. The Hindsight Notes, then, while not perfect, is an ambitious, expansive album that, when it all comes together, feels almost soundtrack-ready.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Animals As Leaders, Periphery, I Prevail

The Hindsight Notes is released on March 4 via Arising Empire