Featuring some of last summer’s most popular sing-a-longs, the band would also have been conscious not to isolate some of their earlier fans, who have followed the band from previous releases ‘For the Kids’ and ‘The Papercut Chronicles’. There is definitely evidence of this with ‘The Quilt’, their fourth studio album, with it having a much rawer and natural sound than previously features on their last album. But that’s not to say that the band have scrapped the poppiness of ‘As Cruel as..’ and have gone and made ‘Papercut Chronicles’ mark II. Instead they have strived to strike a balance between the two sounds, uniting their ideas and their fans.

Upon first listen, it sounds as if the band have tried too hard to make this album different from ‘As Cruel As..’, but with further listening, the hooks do identify themselves and begin to creep up on you, until you can’t help but have them firmly lodged in your head. The album appears to have a much more simplistic sound than the band have previously exhibited, whilst at the same time being more experimental than they might have dared be before. Experimenting with this new found freedom keeps the album refreshing, it sounds as if the band have just been messing around in the studio, only to stumble across some of the best songs they’ve written to date. They demonstrate a much edgier, hip-hop sound with tracks such as ‘Peace up/Index down’, while a much more soulful sound shines through on the powerful ‘Like Father, Like Son’.

However, this experimentation comes at a cost, with it occasionally falling flat on it’s face. There seems to be an overuse of piano and horns, on tracks where they’re simply not necessary. You find yourself longing for a simple guitar riff, only to be offered another piano melody. And although Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump steers clear this time (for the most part), there are far too many guest vocalists. Everyone from Estelle, to Busta Rhymes to your next door neighbour seem to feature on this album. That said GCH’s own guitarist, Disashi’s vocals do add a fresh twist and deserve a commendation.

As for vocalist Travis McCoy, he seems to have taken a more personal route for writing this album. The lyrics may not be as intricate or witty as previous albums, but they seem less guarded and open, matching the albums raw and simplistic feel. His emotions really flow through the heart of the record, driving the rest of the band to match his ambition and determination. It could be said that he’s on the verge of seeming foolish for his jives at the media in some songs. But as for, "one hit wonders, my ass." I couldn’t have put it better myself.