Cade Hoppe gets “Crashland” rolling with enough motion to make sitting still a difficult choice to make. Immediately the drums come in with sharp hits of tambourine, strings, and bright guitars to keep the introduction interesting. The arrangement has a peppy indie-pop feel, but the songwriting isn’t as buoyant as the opening might suggest. The song encapsulates two people revelling in a connection while ignoring the obvious fact that things will eventually fall apart, with lyrics like “We got high under starry skies” and “We went a little too high to find out that we can’t fly.”
The chorus has a lift to it that makes you want to sing along, but the lyrics keep reminding us that this relationship isn’t necessarily headed to a better place. The many “Ohh-ohh-ohh” sections allow the arrangement to breathe, and the movement around the chorus keeps it going. There is something appealing about Hoppe’s approach, because it does not make the relationship sound very sensible. And sometimes people do see the warning signs and carry on anyway. “Crashland” makes that choice without pretending the consequences don’t hurt. It’s a fun indie-pop record with a little trouble bubbling under the bright surface.
