Review Summary: Everything lingers, nothing lasts
“I’m switching to light beer to make my twelve beer affairs a slightly smaller ordeal”, concludes the last verse of opener ‘Never Should’ve Bothered’. Rather angsty, wouldn’t you say? I have a feeling Stuck Out Here would agree, given the Canadian quartet proudly describe their songs as “party angst anthems”. Indeed, it certainly seems singer-songwriters Cam and Ivan wear the hearts on their sleeves as badges of honour, bleeding every ounce of emotion they can muster out of each punk rock refrain they spit out. Melodramatic and self-involved? Yeah, at times. Cathartic as fuck? You’re damn right it is.
On ‘Until We’re Each Someone Else’, the gang rattle through the usual suspects across eleven earworm-packed bangers. Growing apart, growing numb and growing up (or at least trying to) – it’s all here, unapologetically splattered across each and every Americana-soaked anthem. Well-trodden turf, sure, bordering on adolescent cliché more than occasionally, and yet saved by the self-aware and utterly genuine way in which each tale is told. When the line “I’m sorry I embarrass you, I wanna change” is yelped out on the subtly titled ‘Embarrass You’, I feel that feeling; I
know that feeling. With their direct, frank and clumsy delivery, Stuck Out Here
connect; and, even better, they do it with a smile.
Through every fatalist confession and rose-tinted declaration, the LP is an absolute blast. Roaring four-chord melodies and painfully singable refrains elevate the experience, one that could have otherwise easily drowned in its own sorrow. Instead, despite all the odds, ‘Until We’re Each Someone Else’ is one of the most elating records of 2019. The energy, charm and conviction with which the band play are what keep me coming back, eager for just one more hit of euphoric-melancholic meltdown. So, would I recommend it? Well, it’s certainly not for everyone. But do I love it?
My album of the year? You bet I do.
