Mind Chaos

Background

Ben Grubin and Jeremy Reynolds formed Hockey in 2007 in Southern California. After recording a demo they were signed up to Sony Records to record an album with ex-Talking Heads producer Jerry Harrison. When Sony dropped the band before the album was recorded, Grubin and Reynolds moved to Portland, Oregon with percussionist Anthony Stassi and guitarist Brian White. After garnering attention in the UK, the band were signed by Virgin in the UK and Europe, and Capitol Records in the USA, releasing the album in autumn 2009. The song "Work" was featured on the soundtrack for the game MLB 09: The Show.

Critical response

The album received mixed reviews across a wide range of media. The website Metacritic, which aggregates reviews and ratings, shows a 68% score for 'Mind Chaos' from twelve critics' reviews. Reviewing for Drowned in Sound, Neil Ashman said "...at their best they produce some thrilling pop music, and while failing to create a consistently brilliant album, tracks like 'Song Away', 'Too Fake' and 'Learn To Lose' sound good in any year." Similarly, Adam Conner-Simons at the Boston Globe summed up his review with the words "Derivative? Maybe, but at least it’s deftly derived and delivered with purpose and spunk." and a 70% rating.

Track listing

1. "Too Fake" – 4:07
2. "3 A.M. Spanish" – 4:09
3. "Learn to Lose – 3:51
4. "Work" – 5:04
5. "Song Away" – 3:18
6. "Curse This City" –4:30
7. "Wanna Be Black" – 3:51
8. "Four Holy Photos" – 3:51
9. "Preacher" – 4:41
10. "Put the Game Down" – 5:40
11. "Everyone's the Same Age" – 2:55