band puts on such an entertaining show that you just HAVE to check out their material when you get home?
Yeah, that's what happened with me and Sir Sly. I had heard the single "Gold" a few times on XM station Alt Nation, but had never listened to the group beyond that. They were one of the opening acts on The 1975's spring tour this year, and they absolutely killed it.
The band is a blend of dark synthesizers, noisy backing guitars, and poignant lyrics that really bite quite hard at times. A past relationship that failed seems to be the inspiration for the majority of this record, as tracks like "You Haunt Me" and "Ghost" capture that bitter essence perfectly.
This album works best when all of the dark gears are moving at the same time. There's an eerie quality to much of the music here, most notably on hit single "Gold", which disappointingly never quite gets topped on this debut album. There's a brooding sense of bitter lust in vocalist Landon Jacobs' throat as he speaks of one's desire for acquiring riches and fulfilling dreams. It all may sound like a nice farewell, but there's some fangs behind these lips as he fires off phrases like "I don't owe you a single thing, not a g**damn thing", presumably to an ex-flame, or at the very least, an old friend.
The record is split between these darker moments, and then moments of light on cuts like the catchy "Inferno" and the melancholy but somehow bright "You Haunt Me", in which Jacobs' vocals sound a whole lot like Tyler Glenn from Neon Trees. I can't say the title track is doing a whole lot for me, blending a rather drum pattern with some lazy vocals that only really capture my attention during the hook, which at least can be complimented for it's catchy synth line.
I found it interesting that the band decided to make a "part 1, part 2" set of songs on their debut record with the tracks "Nowhere / Bloodlines Part 1" and "Helpless / Bloodlines Part 2". The former is lead by a sense of despair as Jacobs sings "I know that I'm going nowhere, follow me there", possibly speaking of his own self destructive tendencies when it comes to relationships.
The dismissive attitude found in "Floods" is balanced out by a clap effect and light guitar to create an odd but certainly interesting feel. The lyrics mainly revolve around a man that had a relationship go down the drain, and his reaction, which was mainly swearing her off and saying "it doesn't matter, now you're gone".
Two of my favorite tracks come in the galloping and catchy alt pop jam "Inferno" and in the powerful "Too Far Gone". "Inferno" has a haunting sense of urgency brought out by a looped synth and piano that both consistently bring auditory pleasure throughout this short but sweet track! "Too Far Gone" comes in a close second for my favorite track on the record, with an acoustic guitar line reminiscent of something from the latest Portugal the Man album. The vocals are hooky and introspective, leading into a huge soaring chorus that is backed not only by that guitar, but by a bumping drum and synth combo.
You Haunt Me is a reflective and moody record, one to really appreciated in times of despair or vulnerability in life. The majority of these songs are really well crafted, but some tend to feel stale and unmoving which is unfortunate since there isn't a song on here that doesn't show at least a little bit of potential.
4/5
-Jon (ARTV)
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Favorite tracks: Gold, Too Far Gone, Inferno, Helpless, Ghost
Least favorites: Leave You, Found You Out, Nowhere
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