Australian pop-rock trio Short Stack have put out their fifth studio album Maybe There’s No Heaven (UNFD), using it as a means to tell the story of their career ups and downs and love lives since their debut Stack Is The New Black in 2009. Though it has its faults, punchy choruses and exhilarating instrumentals come and go to keep it worth hearing more. 

The album opens with the forty-nine-second title track, slowly drawing the curtains on what is to come. It presents itself as a part one to the following track ‘Burn You Down’, flowing into its high-powered electronic cascades. A children’s choir comes in briefly for the latter half, just before vocalist Shaun Diviney unleashes an unexpected scream launching into a rollicking instrumental. 

Sadly, not every track holds up as well as the first. Songs such as ‘Dancing With The Devil’ and ‘Love You Like I Used To’ are recycled pop melodies that have gone stale, while lyrical clichés are scattered throughout the record as well. Normally a strong execution would be enough to make up for this, but ‘Dynamite’ by Taio Cruz and ‘Super Bass’ by Nicki Minaj echoing in my head every time I hear them is a little too distracting. 

Luckily, ‘Shinigami’ soon shakes things up with an alluring cello line enhanced by harmonizing bass. Together they provide a captivating landscape for Diviney to paint his phrases on. He utilizes his soothing lower register for the bridge, while processed vocal layers soar and sway underneath, later returning to end the song a cappella style. 

Despite some hackneyed melodies, Diviney’s soulful belts are consistent through the much of the listen, shining brightly on ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Live4’, and only fully mellowing out for slower tracks ‘Lights Out’ and the lulling ‘Valkyrie’. The latter features a multitude of peaceful sounds like soft acoustic guitars and mellifluous high-pitched effects that give the whole song a dreamlike mood.

While the spirit and sincerity are undoubtedly there, Maybe There’s No Heaven is a bit of a mixed bag. Some moments the creativity is thrown from all angles in several different ways, and others feel like pieces of old Top 40 hits put together. Judging by the potential the band has shown thus far, I believe their true magnum opus is yet to be written.

Buy the album here: https://amzn.to/38k9F1a

6 / 10

COLLEEN KANOWSKY

This post contains an affiliate link. Ghost Cult makes a small commission on a sale.