Review Summary: wash the glitter off; alright, we cool?
I think a lot of DIY music has lost its spirit in recent years. The efforts to make the scene a place for people to express themselves and help spread positivity has been drastically outnumbered by upcoming emo acts and dark melodramatic indie-rock that typically just winds up ripping off Arcade Fire. The thing about Diet Cig is that they’re not necessarily the most unique band out there, but the honesty, coupled with generally realistic take on everyday teenage anxieties, provides a charming landscape that more bands need to be taking note of. The soft pop-rock influenced vocals compliment the stripped down lofi indie-punk instrumentation, especially on songs like “Bite Back” and “Sixteen”, which both exude an aura akin to a soundtrack of the awkward party scene in a mid-2000s teenage movie. The production provides a fuzzy and young (but not naive) feel to the already youthful teenage/collegiate dynamic established by frontwoman Alex Luciano’s energetic performance and cutesy lyrics. The percussive work from other half Noah Bowman give a punkier edge to Alex’s immature lovely indie-vocaled counterpart. The songwriting isn’t necessarily innovative, but it’s honest and intriguing enough, with consistent punchlines to keep you coming back for more...and more and
more and so forth. The thing with
I Swear I’m Good At This is that it’s not trying to be anything more than what it’s destined to be, and that goes a lot farther than you would assume with most records nowadays; it sticks to its guns from the start and through it’s adorable and optimistic half-hour runtime, and is charming enough to keep itself afloat while providing wiggle-room for evolution.
“My stomach hurts // What if we never figure it out? // Can you hear me? // Because it’s hard to be a punk while wearing a skirt.” - "Tummy Ache"
