The Home Team Thrives And Goes For Gold On ‘The Crucible Of Life’

Seattle-based pop rock band The Home Team have returned with their long-awaited third full-length record in ‘The Crucible of Life’. This marks the long anticipated follow-up to 2021’s ‘Slow Bloom’, which quietly took the scene by storm. This album dives into a lot of the sound and experimentation on the previous record, but with bigger and catchier songs. Going from pop elements to jazz and funky elements, as well as sprinkling a bit of heavy instrumentation…this band isn’t here to play on this record. 

The album kicks off with ‘Turn You Off’, and it’s super funk-oriented right off the bat. The bass delivered by bassist Ryne Olson comes through so well immediately on the opening track, and you can tell how key it is to this band. It sets such a mood to this track, especially when it changes up during the bridge. I appreciate how well drummer Daniel Matson keeps up with the intricacies of the beat throughout as well, it does not go unnoticed and keeps the flow so nice. The bit at the end of the bridge is a funny little addition that feels so specific to only this band, which I appreciate. Getting heavy at the end was an unexpected surprise, but very welcome to set the tone of the record. It follows up with the second and my personal favorite of the singles, with “Brag”. It continues the vibe set from the opening track pretty well. There’s such a confidence to this track that’s present in what people most associate with this band and the vibe they give off, it’s one that feels rare in most bands. It’s the most reminiscent to the songs off ‘Slow Bloom’, and I appreciate the addition of the horns in the background throughout. It makes a song like this feel bigger and this record overall. The chorus is one of the best I’ve heard all year, as well as being one of this band’s best songs period. We follow up “Love & Co”. The instrumentals, especially the guitar delivered by John Baran, are so dance-y here and it’s impossible to not shake your hips to this. It’s got another huge chorus, with horns in the background again to add that spice to it. It’s such an easy highlight to this record, and great way to keep the vibe alive once again. Intervals‘ guitar solo and feature really add a nice touch and addition to this already great track. This easily could’ve been a straight pop song, but the instruments really accompany this song with talented hands and a soft touch. We’re followed up with the fourth single from the record, with “Roommates”. This track feels like quintessential to this band and one that’s an easy favorite from fans. It gives off some of the most sexy energy from this record. I really have to applaud vocalist Brian Butcher‘s delivery in general, but especially here. He really nails that energy in the way he sings, and the fact he’s hitting such wild notes is why he’s one of the best vocalists this scene has to offer. It’s a track I’m sure to go over well live and be stuck in people’s head this year, these melodies are off the chain.

It’s followed up with it’s counterpart and the fifth single from the record, in “Overtime”. The riff throughout feels very key to this track and the fun it brings. This one gives off a real nostalgic vibe to it for some reason, I can’t put my finger on it but it also feels fresh at the same time. The chorus is very energy-driven, as well as vibe-y in the second half like the verses. I appreciate how the music videos for the last couple songs are so simple, but original and random to this personality of this band. We then get to possibly my favorite of the non-singles, with “Honest”. It’s just heavy pop in full force, and it gives off such The Band Camino vibes. It’s insanely catchy throughout, this whole record is but it shines so bright on this track. It’s got such a neon touch to this track and I appreciate how these songs feel easily distinguishable from each other. It’s a short one, and I honestly could’ve had it go for one more chorus with how good it is. I’m just a sucker for the vibe here and this kind of song in general, and they delivered crazy good on this one. We continue with a more moody track, yet it keeps a bit of a similar vibe to the last track with “Somebody Else’s Face”. The pop elements are really showcased well here, and delivers another huge chorus. The lyrics feel very personal and it’s a nice change of pace at this point on the record from their cheeky lyrics normally. The instrumentals are well-delivered overall here, and the bridge is absolutely fantastic. Brian‘s vocals, and Ollie Baxxter‘s (from Broadside) feature is perfect on this track and they sound insane together. This and the song prior feel like my favorite tracks from this record out of the non-singles. We then jump to the sixth single, with “Walk This World With Me”. The lyrics here feel very genuine and it’s like looking into the mind of Brian for a moment and the words he would say to his partner. There’s such a softness to this track that again, feel like a nice change of pace that fits right at home on a record like this. The pacing of this record is something to be shouted out too, it feels very breezy and you’re not taken out of it for any moment. The keys on this track are also a nice touch, as it feels quite intimate like the song itself. 

We’re onto the last stretch of the record, and we jump to a real short one with “All Squeezed Out”. It’s the most out there and unique choice to this record. There’s a fanciness to it, from it’s instrumentals to the sound clips they chose to it that feels like it’s from the 1950’s. I appreciate this little, pleasant jam we get here before we jump to the third single from the record with “Hell”. This one is probably my least favorite of the singles, but it’s still a very fun song overall and keeps up the pace of the album with such ease and energy. It gives off a funkiness and an energy that comes back for these last few tracks. I also appreciate how creative and insane the music video is, with it’s animation and I’m a sucker for the careful guitar hero references too. We jump to the penultimate track and the energy is electric right off the bat with “Love When You’re Used”. This one gives me a lot of Issues vibes to it, as Brian fronted their farewell shows earlier this year. The melodies are absolutely top notch here throughout the whole song, it goes to show just how much thought they put into it and the energy they bring to these songs. The way Brian delivers these lyrics feels absolutely nuts and he flexes his voice on the bridge and outro of this track. The horns coming back one last time for this song feels so earned and it makes for one of the best songs on this record overall. We get to the end of this record with the lead single from it with “Loud”. This might be this band’s biggest song with a little more time, it has that super iconic feeling to it and it’s sure to be a set staple for life. Just an absolute ass shaker, and everything about it feels so seamless. It feels right for this to be the lead single from the record, but an interesting choice to end the album with it but no complaints here. The outro does feel like a nice little way to but a bow on this juggernaut of a record. 

To try to put it into words, ‘The Crucible of Life’ is another reason why this scene is insanely lucky to have The Home Team to deliver some of the best songs of this year on this record. It showcases their talent expertly, while delivering hooks all throughout this album to have a lasting impact on this scene and continue their domination and growth. It’s the kind of record that you can’t put down or stop listening to with the amount of bangers it’s got.