Review Summary: What’s left of life? To be selfish in pain and held back in May?
Nashville based Khamsin self-released their debut LP What’s Left of Life? in May 2022. The band’s previous output exists in relatively brief, yet musically expansive EPs. After toying with various shades of post-rock, post-hardcore, emo, math rock, and indie rock, What’s Left of Life? shows the band narrowing their focus to produce a consistent, vibrant album that presents a fully cohesive exploration of loss.
Much of the current (5th) Wave of Emo is split between the genre-amorphous (Glass Beach) and excitedly noodly (Ben Quad). A record like What’s Left of Life? doesn’t fit tidily within the current narrative, but instead looks back a decade plus for inspiration. Khamsin carry a pre-Emo Revival torch, taking influence from post-hardcore-turnred-indie bands like From Indian Lakes, Colour Revolt, and mewithoutYou. Linear drum patterns, washy guitars, and shell chords abound. Hardcore-friendly emo heavyweights Movements are the most contemporary influence here, as evidenced by the droning guitars of penultimate track ‘What’s Left of Life?’ that lead to a crushing breakdown. All that being said, the band definitely pulls from outside sources. Slowcore is a major player, as seen in the droning ‘Every Morning’ and the outro of ‘Sycamore Tree’. Post-rock creeps up in the occasional tremolo picking and stacks of effects. Sonically, What’s Left of Life? wades through reverb-drenched middleground between Come Now Sleep and Keep You, while keeping its own distinct identity.
What’s Left of Life? was produced with Khamsin as a trio. Jacob Curry leads the band with his noodly guitar riffs and introspective lyricism. Vocally, lyrically, and musically, Curry obviously draws influence from genre flagbearers such as Cody Bonnette of As Cities Burn and From Indian Lakes’s Joey Vannucchi. His vocals turn on a dime from a gentle tenor to shredded vocal fry, as best seen in the transition from the bridge to final chorus of ‘Limbs as Pages (Pt. 2)’. Bassist Cole Harrison ties the melodic and rhythm sections together with steady, standout parts. The underlying bass riff in ‘Permanent’ gently implies harmony with the guitar riffs while still propelling the song section to section. Darin Harger’s equally odd and sway-worthy rhythms may be the star here. The linear drum grooves ensure each song maintains a unique identity, from the chaotic math rock (mathcore?) indebted ‘Conjuring’ to the dance-y bridge of the standout title track.
The deeply personal subject matter of the songwriting weaves through Curry’s grief following the passing of his father. Rather than leading through a linear storyline, we hop into each song to discover various details in personal anecdotes in episodic form. In ‘Sycamore Tree’, Curry laments returning to his family’s hometown without the familiar anchor that is his father (What’s my connection to this now? / One less tie to bring me back), wishing the plans they had made could have remained in place (You were water spilled out that we couldn’t save / So I’ll save our plans for another day). Instead of explicit literalism, Curry reveals many of his feelings using metaphors derived from Biblical references–a cue taken from Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou. In the equally mournful and propulsive title track, he sings “I’ll stick to my sackcloth and ash / Won’t take down my harp and sing…I’ll stick to my slingshot and stones.”
Khamsin are a current standout in the DIY emo playing field. The snake-like riffs, complex lyrical references and stuttering drum patterns on What’s Left of Life? reveal a confident band with a unique identity on their full length debut.
