Review Summary: Screaming into emptiness
I once had a really interesting conversation about the concept of restraint within music with one of my good friends. We both ended up agreeing that often times music transforms itself into something powerful when a band learns how to refrain from exploding into pure emotion. When attempting to emulate anger and frustration, often times a band is more successful at being real when they have the music mimic the feelings themselves. Both of us agreed that anger is more of a brooding, subtle emotion that reflects inward, rarely cumulating into an actual explosion. I really do believe that, in this case, restraint is necessary. But Jonny Mays of WATERMEDOWN isn’t angry, he is fucking desperate and he abandons any thoughts of restraining this anguish.
In the broadest of terms, that’s what
Somewhere Sleepless really is, a loud outburst of emotion, unfiltered and bold in nature. It faces the clichés of modern day indie punk and abuses them just for the sake of sounding dramatically in despair. Jonny is damn good at it too, as his release never crosses into the realm of melodramatics despite the many loud-soft apexes. Hell, it even becomes predictable at some points as almost every track includes the method. ‘Bragging Rights’ is an obvious example, as the opening minute of the album sees Mays alone with his electric guitar and feedback. As the track weaves in between an acoustic effort and spurts of a full band, the song finally comes to a climax that takes from Hotelier’s ‘An Introduction…’ pretty tastefully. Although this dichotomy of dynamics occurs often, when WATERMEDOWN is loud, they are fucking brutal. The lyrics prove to be the element that drives this emotional despair way too close to home. In ‘Exposure’, Mays spews the couplet, “
I try so hard not to expose my heart//But this just hasn't been my week” which only gives a glimpse into how much was poured into this EP. This is a cry for help, heartbreaking when consumed in full and inspiring when considering how much he opens up his personal life to his audience. Closer ‘Safe and Sound’ sees Mays screaming “
I had a heart of solid gold” at the top of his lungs, signaling that he knows he is being destroyed by something that isn’t himself. Sincerity is really what keeps this EP from drowning in its own tears and although it doesn’t mirror despair realistically, it’s a necessary explosion and one that is breathtaking to watch.
