Hot Mess Review

Despite being on the soundtrack for Snakes on a Plane, despite being on the soundtrack for TMNT, and despite being part of the Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen crowd, Cobra Starship never struck me as being as famous as bands like Panic at the Disco or The Academy Is...

I'm of the opinion that that's a shame. Cobra Starship has a unique sound that's like a fusion of '80s pop and modern rock. And unlike PatD's attempt to be unique by aping the Beatles, it really works for Cobra Starship.

Hot Mess is Cobra Starship's third album. With a lot of bands, it usually takes them awhile to mature as musicians and find their sound. I'm not really sure that's the case with Cobra Starship, though, and I'm not really sure where they're going musically.

I don't mean to imply that Hot Mess is a bad album, though. Although not as strong as their first album, it feels more solid and more cohesive than ¡Viva la Cobra! All of the songs but the final track, "The Word Will Never Do", are enjoyable, even catchy songs. But none of them really stand out the way "Send My Love to the Dance Floor" did from the first album, or the way "The City is at War" did from the second album.

On the whole, I'm going to recommend this album. You can get it at Best Buy or Target for $10, which makes buying an actual CD with a case and cover art cheaper than buying the digital version in a lot of cases.

Album highlights:
"Nice Guys Finish Last"
"Good Girls Go Bad"
"Hot Mess"

Final Score: A-