Review Summary: Don't lose that spark
In 2011, it felt like Quiet Company had a fire lit underneath them.
We Are All Where We Belong was frantic, passionate, yet entirely accessible and melodic. To put it simply, they just appeared ecstatic to seize the moment. It was like the honeymoon phase of a relationship, and they were throwing all of their best material at us at once. It was blissful. Now, four years later, things have calmed down a little bit. The riffs feel tamer, there’s not quite as much for lead singer Taylor Muse to passionately shout about, and the lyrics aren’t as deeply motivating. And - perhaps most tragically of all - there’s no track that even approaches the enthusiasm of ‘You, Me, & the Boatman.’ Basically, they’ve gone from the honeymoon stage – fancy dinners, expensive gifts, and nights of endless pleasure – to watching movies in their robes and falling asleep on the sofa before midnight. That’s okay though, because even though the earlier phase is far more exciting, there’s a lot of benefits that come with reaching the comfort zone. On
Transgressor, Quiet Company sounds like a band with an identity. They know their weaknesses well enough to avoid them, their sound is far more cohesive and consistent, and they rarely succumb to rookie mistakes. Everything sounds clean and tight, and resultantly, the band has carved out a perfect little Jimmy Eat World meets Mae kind of niche that is there for the taking, should they want it. So as safe as it may be,
Transgressor is still an album that has plenty of merit. The main question is whether or not they are content to settle into such an unperturbed, hassle-free groove so early into their careers. Judging by
Transgressor, the answer so far is yes.
Ironically, ‘Understand The Problem’ is the track that best encompasses Quiet Company’s transformation. The song rolls along without a hitch atop pace-driven chords, dynamic drum fills, and Muse’s lively vocals. However, the momentum is squandered in a somewhat catchy but ultimately riskless chorus. It doesn’t have the same pull that tracks of a comparable style from
We Are All Where We Belong possessed – there’s little intrigue, nothing to make you question where things are headed. It’s just a driving, straightforward plow through the virtues of pop-rock – and an enjoyable one at that. That’s sort of where the majority of
Transgressor lays down its cards, with ‘Seven Hells’, ‘The Most Dangerous Game’, and ‘Mother of a Deal’ highlighting the ordeal. To those who are paying attention to the track list, that means
Transgressor is also a bit front-loaded, so if you aren’t drawn in by the opening trifecta, it doesn’t bode very well for the remainder of your experience. Despite all the ways that this album seems like a letdown, it’s important to remember that it’s not like they’re a completely different band or anything. The changes to their sound are more of a tweaking than a complete overhaul. If you enjoyed
We Are All Where We Belong, then you’ll still find moments like that scattered throughout. ‘The Road To Perdition’ is the most obvious example, mainly because it alters its tone midway through and erupts into one of the more infectious minute and a half long stretches within the record's runtime. The chorus of “I can’t get you off my mind” is boosted by some of the most elated sounding instrumentation that I’ve heard from Quiet Company – there’s handclaps, piano, gang-vocals,
ahhs,
ba da bas, and just about any other cliché you’ve ever hated – and it all magically works. In fact, it’s hands down the best song on
Transgressor. It’s the kind of spontaneity that they showed four years ago, and other moments like it are sprinkled about the record if you’re willing to look for them. But even then, those moments are in the minority, vastly overshadowed by songs that tread on much safer terrain.
Transgressor is without a doubt a solid album. Even if they feel more like a pop-rock band than they did when they became 2011’s darlings of up-and-coming indie music, there’s still plenty to like about the direction they appear to be moving in. It’s not quite as bold or fresh, and concerns about how soon they seem to have “settled” are legitimate; but for what it’s worth this is a fun, accessible album that has the potential to put them more on the map. The restless passion of the honeymoon might be be over - and if it is, we can expect more albums like
Transgressor in the future. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, however it would feel like an enormous misuse of all the promise Quiet Company showed at earlier junctures in their career. It would be in this band’s best interest to try to liven things up again. Just like how you need to keep the spark going in a relationship, it is important for artists of all genres to keep courting their listeners with spontaneous twists and turns. After all, relationships that start to thaw and mellow out
this quickly usually only have one place to go, and it isn't up.
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