Review Summary: Dan was right.
In the now somewhat-famous Enemies List manifesto, Dan Barrett stated that in this new internet age of music, a bunch of micro-genres would pop up in this new land of opportunity. A genre such as vaporwave, for instance, likely never would've survived in the era of vinyl or CDs because it's just unmarketable and too risky to put out for the price of pressing 1000 copies. The band Dan himself is a part of is Have a Nice Life, who would've never been marketable in the 80s. But, as he also stated, the internet revolution hosts so many opportunities that are ultimately wasted because bands still believe the industry is alive, and thus don’t self-rely enough. But, for us lucky few, some of us actually make music the way we want because now, we can. This basic principle, that almost no constraints are on music publishing anymore, is to me what Boring Bathtimes are; honest music made by an average joe.
Boring Bathtimes is the work of a single person, and he has put out 2 other EPs thus far. If I had to describe it all in a single sentence, I'd just say that it sounds like Codeine and Have a Nice Life in meiosis. It's drenched in reverb, usually slow to mid-tempo, always gloomy, and never too upfront about it's sadness. There is no screaming to highlight how much more emotion he feels than your brother's skramz band, it just pours out into the microphone like Bilinda Butcher on codeine. In fact, this album is less sad and more apathetic. But, don't think of it as being just another Codeine rip-off, because the amount of influence you can hear on this record is another aspect that makes it so wonderful.
Besides just the others I've mentioned, you can also hear influence from the Cure, Leonard Cohen, Brian Eno, and many more. But, I digress, the way these all mix together is something truly magical. Most of the songs are basically acoustic dirges, but they are just smothered in feedback, harmonies, percussion, keyboards, and so much else, it almost feels like a really well-cooked meal. Even though it runs for over an hour, the album ties together beautifully, with certain songs such as "I'm Somebody Now" calling back to the first song on his first EP. The opener is a huge highlight, introducing itself with about three minutes of drone before building to a huge distorted peak as layers are laid on top of one another. The last 3 tracks are basically just drones, but they somehow end it all in a very satisfying way. Most of the middle is based around what I've already mentioned; basic acoustic songs with layers upon layers upon layers. I can't think of a specific low-point for this album, since it all feels very intimate and up-close to the point where musical quality isn't as important as the
feeling it exudes.
If you want an album that feels sad, but doesn't demand you to feel that way, this is a good pick. Unlike most of the other music I've heard this year that claims to be emotional, this is the kind of emotion that lays itself out there for you to take in, by doing it the Codeine-way of not giving a ***. Comparisons aside, this is a remarkably original, ambitious, and intimate full-length debut from a rising musician who put out his first release only in July. It's cold out now, so this arrived at the perfect time. Emotionally numbing and overwhelming at the same time, listen to it.
Feel it.
"I want to feel. Please let me feel again…"
