Review Summary: Perfectly pissed off songs that last the length of a good piss.
The primary struggle of any punk band is crafting distinct tracks within typically compact song lengths. For Boston based
Lovechild, an offshoot of the now defunct band
Cerce, this challenge was seemingly never a necessary worry, demonstrated clearly by their excellent debut,
In Heaven, Everything is Fine. Over eleven tracks and twelve minutes,
Lovechild proves that striking detail can be easily etched on a miniature canvas.
Detail is truly the key word here. Even though the entire album’s tone is aggression without restraint,
Lovechild’s attention to tempo and pace allow for the energy to build and releases in an engaging balance. The clear standout is “Oh Love,” which seamlessly builds from a muted musing into explosive pit-fuel. While the run time seemingly suggests a constant barrage of speed, half of the songs are slowed down, and their placement only enhances their well-crafted compositions. Fifty second weapons “I’m Always Waking Up at Sunrise” and “One Bar of Xanax” both showcase fine examples of sneering mid-paced punk. It could even be argued with relative ease that the most violent and derisive tracks are those where the snare is hit with a shotgun instead of an assault rifle.
The man behind that snare, Patrick Talesfore, Jr., is by far the greatest asset to
In Heaven, Everything is Fine. On every track, his varied and thorough kit-work acts as a driving force that pumps up the intensity of every other instrumental element. It certainly helps that his percussion’s production quality (particularly with the cymbals and toms) sounds absolutely tremendous. What territory Talesfore could explore with more song time is a tantalizing thought.
Which brings up the only, and somewhat obvious, issue that
In Heaven, Everything is Fine has: duration. Seeing as
Lovechild can clearly write a multi-faceted song, it would be nice to have a couple of tracks on their sophomore release broach the two minute mark. Additionally, the track “Perfectionist (Perfectionism),” while great, contains an audio sample that feels unnecessary. Its inclusion burns close to a minute on an album that’s already too short, and the subject matter of Hinduism and the Bhagavad Gita feels out of place with the nature of the album.
This is largely nitpicking however, as
In Heaven, Everything is Fine is a strong debut for
Lovechild. Any fan of punk with twelve minutes of free time has not a single excuse to let this record slip by unappreciated.
