Review Summary: The grimy, angry, Future Violence.
An unexpected turn of events has various effects on musicians, no matter how big or small in the bigger picture. For some, an unsuccesful album that they've put their heart and soul into, followed by deaths of their closest fans, can lead to isolation and near self-destruction, and a self aware attempt at writing the blandest, most accessible and dumb album in their careers(..at that point in time) in a futile attempt to gain the love of audience back.
For others, like Frank Iero, a near death experience(even if vented through last year's Barriers) followed by a worldwide pandemic stopping reunion of his former band you might've heard of, resulted in these 3 original songs and a cover. And, especially in case of the three original tracks, they are some of the best material he's ever had to his name.
The two opening tracks, Violence and Sewerwolf, are heavy and powerful one-two punch full of self-hatred, aggressive drums and heavy guitars. Succesfully, the songs are more based around quickly moving guitar riffs while powerchords, which have long been the core of Frank's writing(be it here or in his previous bands), while present, arent at the foremost focus anymore. The tracks sound like early Weezer or MCR on steroids, with his disgusted vocal infliction harmonizing with octave chords, yet still somehow retaining the catchiness.
Following emotional, if little by the numbers, cover of Losing My Religion, is post-rock influenced Record Ender. Composed like a poppy bastard version of a Slint song, Record Ender sees Frank at his lowest, explaining with his slippy, emotional voice the struggle of holding on in face of all his demons. Despite the vile, depressing feeling of the song, the record ends with a little light shining through the songs climax, with Frank claiming:
"I wanna tell you what I never could
It takes a lot to find yourself in a place where no one looks
I'm breaking down again
My sky's been falling but you never knew
I promise I will try to smile if it's the last thing I ever do
Call out my name
'Cause I swear you mean
The whole world to me"
The record sounds great thanks to input of Big Black's Steve Albini. Addition of a keyboard player and occasional back up vocalist Kayleigh Goldsworthy also adds another layer to the thick, grimy sound of the band. The, seemingly, apocalypse has brought us one of Frank's greatest projects yet, perfectly encompassing his approach to songwriting, sound and message.
