Review Summary: I wanna be laughing until 3, and not believe in stability.
Do you feel a twinge of hollow sadness even in your most joyful moments? Does your soul burn with passionate intensity, only for the jaws of fear to swallow it before the world can see who you truly are? Do you feel trapped in the backseat of life, your own thoughts the only barrier between you and the carefree laughter you’ve been missing all these years? If any of this resonates, you might take a liking to Memphis’s Late Night Cardigan. These types of emotional contradictions are the group’s bread and butter, to the point that they describe themselves as “sugar rush anxiety rock”, and their first full-length effort is a stunning example of just how euphoric fear can be.
Life Is Bleak And It’s My Cheat Day is an instrumentally gorgeous and lyrically devastating record that deserves all the exposure it can get, as well as a seat at the table among the growing list of 2022’s best indie releases.
Life Is Bleak is first and foremost a record with heart, and that heart is beating at a swift and concerning speed, adrenaline and dopamine hastening its once sluggish pace. Even in its quieter, prettier moments, the record feels fraught with tension; observe the intro/verse progression of “As A Friend”, an undeniably beautiful riff that simultaneously conjures images of furious thunderclouds gathering. “Dale Cooper” and “Bath” slow things down to a jog to achieve a similar effect, while aptly titled closer “Slow Motion” utilizes a masterful tempo change to initiate a torrential downpour. This type of emotional impact is impossible without exemplary musicianship, and Late Night Cardigan are more than up to the task. Kacee Russell and Stephen Turner’s dizzy, interlocking guitar melodies form the foundation of the album’s sound, transforming tracks like “Slow Motion” and “Dale Cooper” from midtempo slogs into truly transcendent compositions. I could spend this entire review talking about “B Movie”, a contender for the best song of 2022 so far, but I’d rather let its spindly lead lines and stunning climax speak for itself. The rhythm section is equally impressive, featuring the creative orchestration of drummer Zach Mitchell and the disciplined attack of Jesse Mansfield on the bass.
Late Night Cardigan’s instrumental talent is self-evident, but it’s Russell’s singing voice that carries the album’s sound and guides it into heavenly territory. From the moment she enters the arrangement on opener “Beware of Me”, her vocals consistently leave me spellbound for the rest of the album’s runtime. They’re powerful while allowing themselves to be playful, and the wavering timbre of her voice grants her the ability to effortlessly convey longing, fear, happiness, or anything else she’s feeling. It’s a praiseworthy performance from beginning to end, and it’s wonderful to know she’s just getting started.
Life Is Bleak is a triumphant debut, and while it’s not without its imperfections (some muddy production and a slightly subpar track in “Happy Truman”), it’s a record that any lover of indie rock has to put on their radar. It marks the arrival of an accomplished band and an otherworldly vocalist onto the scene, and the fact that they’ve got so much more to offer is beyond exciting to me.
