CD Review: PlayRadioPlay!’s Texas

by Brenna Rushing

After hearing Texas, the new album from Fort Worth's PlayRadioPlay!, I can safely say that electronic music is getting better every year.

Dan Hunter is the man behind PlayRadioPlay! and at only 18 years old, the talent demonstrated in this album is all the more impressive. Texas was recently picked up by Island Records, “L.A.” Reid’s label that also represents Fall Out Boy, The Killers, and Grapevine High grad, The Rocket Summer. Under the guidance of this powerhouse company that caters to young crowds, Hunter looks poised to gain national recognition. The album, which hit shelves on March 18, is his first full-length, his only other work being The Frequency EP released through Stolen Transmission in 2007.

Shortly after pressing play, the Postal Service came to mind. Texas blends slower, relaxed songs with upbeat, bit-pop tunes in between. The overall feel is cheerful and sweet.

On PRP!’s MySpace, Hunter writes that he loves a girl named Madi. The album reflects this emotion with romantic lyrics such as, “Can't we just disappear and take our chances on a teenager’s romance.” From track number four, “Madi, Don’t Leave,” to “I’m a Pirate, You’re a Princess” and “See You Soon,” the majority of his lyrics are romantic in a schoolboy sort of way, showing that love is what’s on his mind.

As a one-man operation, Hunter runs the computer, plays guitar, and sings his originally written and composed pieces. The guitar shows up infrequently, but when it does it works well. One of those tracks is “More of the Worst”, which starts out quietly, but not in a way that puts you to sleep. Vocally, Hunter possesses the ability to take even a negative topic and make it sound happy and enjoyable to listen to. Not that there are many negative words in Texas, of course.

The lengths of the songs are reasonable, although there are times when it could be cut short to shave off repetitive sections. For example, “There’s a Hole in my Brain” repeats the word “getting” a seemingly unnecessary number of times. Then again, a lot of electronic music repeats itself more persistently than this album, so we’ll forgive him for that one.

If I hadn’t been introduced to this band, I can only hope I would’ve heard about it from being a fan of Postal Service or HelloGoodbye. So go out and find this album and help support a baby of a local artist in his quest to be famous.

PlayRadioPlay! will join fellow local bands Blue October, Miser, Fair To Midland, and Spoonfed Tribe this Sunday, April 27th at Edgefest 17.

This review was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News Community.