Released on February 7, Irish band Inhaler released their third album Open Wide. This album shows a new side of Inhaler, going from indie/rock music to pop. I liked the album because of the harmonies and instrumentals, but I wouldn’t say it’s my cup of tea.

Inhaler is a indie rock/pop band from Dublin, Ireland, that really took off in 2021 after their debut album, ¨It Won’t Always Be Like This¨. 

The band is made up of vocalist and guitarist Elijah Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist and keyboardist Joshua Jenkinson Tansia, and drummer Ryan McMahon. 

In an interview with CD 92.9 FM, Hewson said that, ¨Before Inhaler became ¨Inhaler¨ it was originally just an excuse for us to all hang out and eat pizza, but then [Ryan McMahon] introduced Josh to us and we started taking it seriously.¨

With 10 songs and 48 minutes of music, “Open Wide” by Inhaler opens a new side of their artistic ability. Produced by Kid Harpoon, a well known producer in the music industry for collaborating with people like Harry Styles,  Florence + the Machine, Lizzo and more. 

All of the singles leading up to the release were different in some way, but nobody expected a full pop album. Inhaler is known for their Indie-Rock sound with heavy guitar and drums:they’re like a mix of The Beatles and The Strokes if they were from the early 1980s.

There’s quite a lot of versatility, from songs like “Eddie In The Darkness” being more on the alternative side of pop music similar to Arctic Monkeys, and “Your House” is more on the mainstream side of pop music which reminded me of the early stages of One Direction. 

 Even though “Open Wide” is Inhaler´s first Pop album, their first pop song is a single titled “Ice Cream Sundae.” Even though “Ice Cream Sundae” isn’t completely a pop song and is more of a 70s disco song, compared to what Inhaler was releasing at the time it was very pop for them.

I’d say my favorite song on this album is “Your House” which  is like a combination of the early Inhaler sound and modern day sound. To me, “Your House” sounds like a classic 70s indie rock song. The way Keatings background vocals and the beat mesh together so well is amazing. Hearing the electricity in the bass, the heavy drums, and my favorite—the background vocals. Everything about “Your House” is just amazing to me. 10/10 song.

My Least favorite song on this album is “The Charms.” The overall song is alright but I’m just not really fond of the deeper voice Hewson used on the track, I would have preferred bassist Keating’s higher vocals.. Even though Keating is just the bassist, you can hear his harmonist and vocals in the back in a lot of their songs. Also, before Inhaler made their debut, Keating was the main vocalist.

Something that I would change about this album is that I would maybe make some of the songs more on the indie-rock side rather than pop. I’m not saying that I hate the pop sound, but just that I feel like Inhaler´s overall vibe and musical ability sound better with the indie-rock sound. 

I’d give Open Wide a 6/10. I really love all of Inhaler´s works but I just feel as if Open Wide wasn’t what I was really expecting from them. Open Wide is still a good album, its just not in my demographic. Even though this album isn’t meant for me, it shows how Inhaler can go outside of their comfort zone and try new things.