Belle and Sebastian Take You Back With "How To Solve Our Human Problems Part 1"

There's nothing like a nostalgic trip back to a simpler time. That's a lot of Belle and Sebastian's sound, and it often brings you a sense of comfort and warmth, but with their new EP takes on a bit of a deeper meaning than just a look to the past. Belle & Sebastian take you back with How To Solve Our Human Problems Part One, the first part of a series that looks at the state of where the world is.

There's a familiar warmth in How To Solve Our Human Problems Part One that'll perhaps take you back a simpler time. Opening track 'Sweet Dew Lew' is very chill and inviting, almost like a lounge song. It's charming presence and 70's rock atmosphere takes you to a time of being unabashedly in love. 'We Were Beautiful' follows up with a more active drive, a more alternative vibe and great melodies propelling the mood forward, expanding upon the idea of being in love, but in a bleaker aspect: the chorus bittersweetly recalls, "We were beautiful before this went down / We were beautiful before the years came / And turned it upside down."

The magic behind this EP is it almost enlists a false sense of security within you. The sound is optimistic and innocent, almost like it's unaware of the way of the world. By the time you reach 'Everything Is Now,' the album's mostly instrumental closing track, you run back through time and sort of see all the moments the album took you through play back in your head, as if it was a fleeting moment in time. The sense that you can't get moments back is the crux of How To Solve Our Human Problems Part One.

Belle and Sebastian take you back with How To Solve Our Human Problems Part One, forcing you into reality as it reminds you of a beautiful moment in the past and the idea that you can't return to them. This is the first part of a series of EPs, so the story has yet to conclude. Belle and Sebastian have an important message to share, and this is only the start.

Favorite Track: We Were Beautiful

Least Favorite Track: Everything Is Now

Rating: 70 / 100

Stream or buy How To Solve Our Human Problems Part One on Apple Music: