A captivating genre-spanning sound resonates across Love Is The Revolution, the third album from M4TR, the Washington D.C.-based project led by songwriter and producer AJ Solaris. His previous work has artfully conveyed protest and political commentary, poignant within “a time when everything feels like it could collapse at any moment,” Solaris says. This latest album instead exudes a sense of hope for love to prevail through all the tumult. As Solaris explains: “But if love is the one thing that can pull us back from the brink, then what choice do we have but to keep reaching for it?”
A stirring opener that captures the album’s thematic ethos, “Let Love Turn This World Around” fuses danceable electro-pop and soaring rock theatrics amidst lyrical drives to embrace emotion and vulnerability. “Let tears flow like a summer rain, and let love turn this world around,” Solaris sings during the magnetic central hook, bolstered by brass-y hints and lush backing vocal harmonies. The ensuing “Hooks” reminds fondly of Erasure in its acoustic shimmers, funky bass, and contagious pop arrival — pleading “don’t take your hooks out of me, don’t toss me back in the sea.” The lyrical embrace of infatuation melds within a bouncy pop allure for one of many replay-inducing successes within Love Is The Revolution.
Another standout track, “No Tomorrow” conveys a yearning to “love like no tomorrow” in continuing the album’s embrace of love/adoration. Shimmering guitar lines and a funk-tinged bass line charm alongside the vibrant vocal ascents — enjoyably reminiscent of Squeeze’s throwback funk/electro infusions, while also playing as a nod to “Cold War 80s synthpop through a modern filter.” Another stylistic success entirely arises with “Siren Song.” Bouncy piano and clap-laden percussion builds into buzzing bass-synth nostalgia, while the “try stepping inside my mind” sequence stirs especially in its theatrical trip-hop immersion.
The invigorating disco-ready single “Life Without Her” also enthralls in its grooving immediacy. “Now you’re living life without her,” gripping vocal layers exude during the track’s main hook, one of the best on an album full of fantastic hooks. The subtle synth and bass shifts envelop into a delightful guitar-friendly second half, capped off by a funky flash of throwback fun. The album’s title track is another winner, embracing an exotic, symphonic mystique as strings and colorful percussion complement radiant vocals that advance into a “love is a revolution” repeating mantra. The album dazzles in its positively affecting thematic output — emphasizing the power of love within our hectic world — and melodically dynamic productions.
