Review Summary: Very much cooler than an attempted suicide.
Instead of unleashing a dense wall of harsh noise onto the listener, the five Californian residents and band members of Leer take a highly melodic approach that still does not falter in the realm of emotion.
SPRINGBREAKNOPARENTS captures the essence of troubled youth while remaining a highly captivating album that differentiates itself from the others; despite the rough-cut textures that characterize this genre, Leer has succeeded in penning addictive hook upon addictive hook in all areas, be it vocals or guitars.
As the passionately grating vocals of Brandon Holder come out in bursts over the course of this short mini-album, it's evident that Leer has substantial command over their own musical palette. Over the album's relatively short runtime, just over twenty-three minutes, the band proves their mastery over their craft with everything from impressive buildups to danceable breakdowns, to meandering instrumental bridges with technically impressive intertwining riffing. The band wears their multitude of influences on their sleeves, demonstrating their affinity with blending many genres simultaneously. Fans of hardcore punk, screamo, math rock, and post-rock will easily find things to like. The short runtime lends itself to benefit the album, because instead of tiring out the listener with too much, it crams many musical ideas into a compact and very digestible package, making it easier and easier to listen to the album repeatedly.
Leer is a rare gem that stands out far beyond their contemporaries, mixing influences effectively to create a work that is far more advanced yet still accessible, outshining many major releases. Given the nature of the album, Leer will have to live in relative obscurity, but regardless,
SPRINGBREAKNOPARENTS exists as a highly vibrant snapshot of the half-miserable, half hopeful life that the band aims to capture.
I will burn this Shell away
So I can't think of these days
Everyone is going away
It's always been the same
There are a million reenactments pounding in my head
As each one ends another part of me sheds
