she/her
No elimination today, I'm not feeling too good and you guys deserve a better-written elimination. But hopefully tomorrow!
Blood, Tears & Votes: The Hurts Discography Rate. WE HAVE A WINNER
- Thread starter CorgiCorgiCorgi
- Start date
she/her
I really liked this song the first time I heard it, but it was diminishing returns from then on. It's a fun song, and I think it could've been a minor hit if they released it as a single, but it's not really a Hurts song, you know? Can we dust off those Maroon 5 comparisons from the Boyfriend elimination?
@Untouchable Ace (4.7) winces, "I never thought they'd make something so annoying," and @OspreyQueen (5.5) is "surprised this doesn't have a faceless rent-a-producer like Cheat Codes or Kygo in it." @abael (7) damns it with faint praise: "Everything here works as a successful album fodder."
@tylerc904 (8) says, "It's funny how something so upbeat and happy sounding could work so well, given their initial sound." @berserkboi (8.5) accepts that the song is "lots of fun but I cannot rate to the level of Euphoria..." Been there!
@VivaForever (8) admits "the chorus bops, but it's not quite enough to carry the rest of the song for me." @Reboot (6) says it's a "cute song when it's performed live." Let's find out!
she/her
This is one of those songs that I appreciate more than I actually like. It's one of the better risky songs from Exile! They pull off the stadium rock sound well here, aside from those loud Imagine Dragons/M83 airhorns in the middle, and of course Theo's vocals are on point. But, I think it would be better if it was about a minute shorter - as it stands, it feels a bit stagnant, and I feel my mind wandering a bit by the time we hit the end.
@Untouchable Ace (8.2) pitches, "A simple cinematic video of Theo running along a rope to find the end would be adequate." And @abael (2) contemplates aesthetics: "Here I was thinking all the black covers was due to lack of imagination, turns out it was also because of feelings."
@Reboot (6) deems it "good, but also exhausting, like this album in general." And @saviodxl (4.25) sums up most of your thoughts on Exile: "Exile might be a bit too long of a pop album that when you get to The Rope you feel like you've already listened to this song (and the reamining ones of the LP). The track is, as you expect, glossy and well produced, but sounds a bit repetitive."
@berserkboi (10) calls it "haunting" and @OspreyQueen (9) makes an interesting comparison that I cannot unhear: "I’ve always got a slight Xenomania vibe from this one? The rich guitar-driven instrumental reminds me of their work on Yes by the Pet Shop Boys."
Inland Empire
Staff member
he/she/they
I'm actually finding it...interesting how the two extremes of their discography (the dark and challenging stuff from Exile and the simple pop from Surrender and Desire) seem to be leaving in tandem. I'm curious to see what kind of top 10 we've made with all our conflicting tastes.
I hadn't noticed this, but now that you've pointed it out I can't stop thinking about it.
londonrain
Staff member
Walk Away is underrated and I don't regret my 9 in the slightest.
The Rope, on the other hand... meh. I don't hate it but I don't love it either.
The Rope, on the other hand... meh. I don't hate it but I don't love it either.
she/her
46. Hold On To Me (6.44)
high scorers: 9 (@Sprockrooster, @roborovsky)
low scorers: 2 (@CasuallyCrazed)
Another Desire track falls! And, I admit, it's one that I kind of like. I don't love it, but it's fine. The saxophone is a fun touch, and the short 3-minute runtime keeps it from dragging on too horribly long. That being said, it does get a bit repetitive, and the chorus is much weaker than the verses.
@Untouchable Ace (6.7) and I are on the same page: "At the bridge it gets interesting even with the wrong decade's saxophone. However the chorus can be a bit faceless levels of generic. They're trying to recreate a big moment but they've done it for real before."
@saviodxl (2.3) deems it "F.I.L.L.E.R", and @VivaForever (5) groans "Good Lord the end of this album really does run together." @OspreyQueen (7.5) admits "it’s still a bit mushy" but "this at least sounds more authentic the rest of the album. It’s a sweet song, and I like that it has such an abrupt ending."
@abael (7) has no strong feelings one way or the other: "Nothing wrong with this, which is really all I can say." and @berserkboi (7.9) says it's "not quite my thing from them, but pleasant enough".
And finally, @RUNAWAY (6) declares, "this song is fucking boring".
she/her
We are finally losing the surprisingly divisive The Road! I gave it a decent score (a 7) but I can see why people didn't like it. The transition from the verses to the chorus is a bit startling, which I understand was a stylistic choice, but good lord that first chorus can sure be annoying when you have headphones in.
Despite the ... wide range of scores, and the frequent call for it to be eliminated, not everyone hated it. @berserkboi (10) liked the "Stunning drama!" and @Untouchable Ace (9.2) suggests "This is the song to introduce Hurts to fans of rock." Makes sense to me - it's like a Nine Inch Nails song remixed by Depeche Mode.
@OspreyQueen (7.5) reminisces, "I remember this being really unpopular at the time of Exile’s release, and while I can see why it’d be a jarring listen for some fans, I don’t think it’s a bad song. It’s wonderfully twisted and mechanical, and that industrial breakdown at the end is a total moment."
@abael (3), on the other hand, says "It just sounds bad and incoherent. That electronica? Yuck."
@Reboot (5) admits, "This one is a difficult one to rate for me. I love the production very much, but there are days when I find the song rather hard to get through. The fact that it’s about an actual car crash does not help." I think "hard to get through" is an excellent way to put it - it's not a badly-written song, but it is quite a challenging listen.
she/her
Oh wow oh wow! I knew this rate was gonna be hard for someone who got into Hurts through Exile, but the absolute lack of taste in the last three eliminations is staggering. I mean Hold On has one of the same old anthemic choruses that are aplenty on Happiness and yet is out before some dated embarrassments (e.g. that Calvin mess.) And I kinda regret being civil with Surrender cause that has one good song (Lights) while the rest is so unmemorable it hurts.
My next negativity outburst is scheduled whenever Help bites it, so probs tomorrow. Peace and blessings until then xoxo
My next negativity outburst is scheduled whenever Help bites it, so probs tomorrow. Peace and blessings until then xoxo
she/her
People Like Us is a song that I think I would like better if it was by someone else. It's a perfectly serviceable pop song, with plenty of hooks and a catchy instrumental, but it doesn't quite reach the emotional peaks their other songs hit. A mediocre Hurts song is still a song that most other artists would be lucky to have!
@Reboot (5) agrees: "It’s not bad, and coming from any other artist I would probably play the hell out of it, but this is Hurts we’re talking about. This is “faceless male-led song on Spotify” by numbers."
@berserkboi (9.4) gives this bop high praise: "Love the rhythmic instrumental, a interesting blend with their style" and @OspreyQueen (6) admits "I…begrudgingly bop to this." @abael disagrees: (4) "That chorus is dusty. The song plods along."
It's comparison time! @londonrain (9.5) asks "Ryan Tedder, is that you?" while @Untouchable Ace (8.3) thinks "this could have been a collaboration with The Police." I'm imagining a Ryan Tedder-penned Police song, and you know what? I don't hate it.
she/her
Thinking Of You reminds me a bit of previous elimination Boyfriend. It's out of their usual comfort zone, it's fun (if flimsy), and it sticks out like a sore thumb amongst all the other orchestral sadbangers in their discography. "Hurts Thinking of You" is a very depressing search string, by the way. Google is probably getting concerned!
@berserkboi (8.6) declares this tune "Basic Bop Hurts!" and @saviodxl (6.6) probably agrees: "Maroon 5 found shook."
@OspreyQueen (4.5) calls it "the kind of pop song that gets written in five minutes for a TV show when they need something royalty-free." 009 Sound System found shaking.
@abael (8) admits, "My corny self thinks this song is charming, can't fight it" and @Reboot (6) calls it "Catchy, like the flu."
@Untouchable Ace (6.1) is out here asking the important questions: "Who. Wrote. This?" Let's check Wikipedia!
Nobody. Apparently nobody wrote this.
she/her
We've got 2 eliminations ready for this weekend - one song that I'm meh on (and the rest of you were, too), and one song that deserved to be here much, much longer.
Inland Empire
Staff member
he/she/they
Thinking Of You should have gone like 10 eliminations ago but better late than never.
I'm starting to think I'm the only person who actually likes Desire...
Thinking Of You's a perfectly-produced little pop song - I love it. It's no Wonderful Life but it's not trying to be.
The only time I tend to dislike a Hurts track is when they don't quite achieve what they're going for - the naff lyrics on Policewoman ruin it for me, for example. (She whips her nightstick?)
Thinking Of You's a perfectly-produced little pop song - I love it. It's no Wonderful Life but it's not trying to be.
The only time I tend to dislike a Hurts track is when they don't quite achieve what they're going for - the naff lyrics on Policewoman ruin it for me, for example. (She whips her nightstick?)
she/her
One last fun fact: the next 4 eliminations are from 4 different albums/sections.
Place your bets now!
Place your bets now!
Same here (unfortunately), but I will follow this thread! Disappointed at the Exile culling, it’s without a doubt their most underrated album. The darker sound worked surprisingly well for them, I think.
I absolutely cannot stand Desire, it has about 3 or 4 good tracks and I honestly don’t remember a single thing about the rest. Even the more typical Hurts tracks sounded really weak, so I just gave up on the album after two attempts.
Affair would have been my 11, by the way.