By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Cold War Kids became alternative favorites with their 2007 album “Robbers & Cowards.” Recently, their single “First” blew up and put them on lots of people’s radars.

Their newest album “LA Divine” released last week and is easily one of the best albums yet. After years of experimenting and reworking their sound, “LA Divine” is an incredible album that finds Cold War Kids at the best they’ve ever been.

The band released two singles leading up to the full album release. “Love Is Mystical” is an upbeat, danceable tune that quickly blew-up on the radio. The band collaborated with Bishop Briggs for the single “So Tied Up,” which was a bit of a let down compared to the first single. The collaboration with Bishop Briggs isn’t very strong: her presence in the song is weak, especially for being the only collaboration on the album.

All of “LA Divine” held my attention, each song standing wonderfully on its own. The song “No Reason To Run” was the highlight of the album for me. The track blends Cold War Kids’ upbeat, fast paced sound with some of the most heartfelt lyrics in the whole album.

All songs on “LA Divine” are pretty short. The 14-song album zooms by way too quickly, with some tracks only 30 seconds to a minute. “LA Divine” is so good that it deserves to be played over and over, I just wish it didn’t go by so fast.

The album ends with “Free To Breathe,” a slow, emotional tune that ends the album on a weak note. Cold War Kids puts most of their focus in the album on up-tempo danceable alternative music, so ending the album on such a slow note feels disconnected from the rest of the album.

“LA Divine” is the best Cold War Kids album yet. Each song stands on it’s own and rarely are there times without great written lyrics and feet-tapping goodness.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu