‘Open Wide’ by Inhaler: Is Alright Good Enough?

Featured Image Credits: Lewis Evans

Open Wide sees Inhaler adopt a cleaner, poppy sound compared to their previous releases, and it is produced by multi-talented British musician Kid Harpoon, whose production credits include the likes of Harry Styles, Florence + The Machine, and Haim. Yet, I can't help but ponder, can an album be too polished?

Eddie in The Darknessand Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah) are memorable enough, but the first portion of the album was a bit of a miss. The same goes for Your House and A Question Of You - and, it's not that they are flawed per sé, they just lack ambition.

Image Credits: Lewis Evans

Now, don’t get me wrong... the band does display an impressive range of versatility here. Seamlessly transitioning from the darker melodies of tracks like Even Though, to the light yet guitar-heavy, easy breezy The Charms.

Not to mention, the opening percussion of the title track Open Wide features heavy house influences, combined with laid back guitars and vocalist Elijah Hewson’s dreamy delivery, it’s a firm favourite.

The penultimate track, Concrete, did drive me slightly crazy in trying to figure out what the guitar riff reminded me of, but I eventually got there... the saxophone solo from the late and great George Michael's Careless Whisper.

Surprisingly, it works. 

Moments like this on the album, where the band are evidently taking a risk by stepping away from the expected, do indeed provide the biggest payoff, and I would have loved to see more of this throughout.

The closing track, Little Things, is not a bad song, but I found a disconnect between the impact and intensity of the instrumental, compared to the sentimental lyrics. It landed off the mark, reminding me why I felt disappointed with Open Wide as a whole.

So, to conclude, I guess that I enjoyed Inhaler's third album, just not that much.