Review Summary: With infectious drums, catchy rhythms, crisp production, and interstellar lyrics, Mean What You Say delivers an amazing experience that deserves more spotlight.
All the best bands go too soon. The 5-piece post-hardcore band from South Carolina was able to deliver 2 EP's and 2 LP's before descending into an indefinite hiatus. Throughout that time, outside of a few missteps on their independent, self-titled, debut EP, (which is totally understandable,) a 'subpar song' was a myth to these guys. Of course,
Mean What You Say is no exception. Despite being their softest record to date, the band makes the most of it, and delivers ten amazing songs over the course of half an hour.
The two and a half minute opener,
Prudence, serves as a bit of a prelude to the record. The drums are satisfying, Zach Riner's vocals are excellent (same with the rest of the record), and the intricate rhythm guitar leads the listener into singing the "Duh duh duh duh duh" at the end of the track every time. It's nothing spectacular yet, but that's the point; it sets the tone perfectly. It sets the tone lyrically, too: "Tonight, we go where we want to go/ We say what we need to say/ Even if the long road takes us home/ Tomorrow's a new day".
The album then seems to follow along a path of maturity. The first half seems to be wisdom for the foolish, with lines like, "The whole world's talking to you but you're lost/ When will you listen?", "We can make it out alive/ If we learn from the night", and "You better mean what you say". The back half, however, presents more mature topics: "A million miles is far enough/ The things we do for the ones we love/ We give anything for the old routine", "All the good you see in me/ Will never be good enough/ It doesn't have to be good enough", and in the feel good closer, "I'm not that strong/ Honestly I'm not/ But you always see the best in me". The latter is this reviewers favorite, as it shows that even despite all ones shortcomings (which is what tracks 8-10 are about), nothing will bring more peace to someone than having someone always see the best in them.
To add on to all of that, the music meshes with the message extremely well.
Listen and
Rebuild, Release boast addicting lead guitar lines and hopelessly catchy vocals, while
Learn from the Night and
Mean What You Say proudly deliver epic strings and relentless drums, respectively. But after the title track closes, the album slows down to really focus on it's message.
However Long it Takes kicks off the back half with a slow, yet hopeful riff that fits just about perfectly with the song's lyrics, leading into the sorrowful
Need it Today, which presents that difficult, indescribable feeling of longing not often touched by rock music very well. Afterwards, the guitars vanish, and a vulnerable, piano lead ballad takes the stage. It goes without saying this works very well for
Never Be Enough, and sets up the hard hitting, repentful
We're all Liars before closing out with the feel good, soft rock ballad
Best in Me. It can't be understated how well these songs flow into each other, and how satisfying it is to listen to this album all the way through.
As for standout tracks? They're here too. The aforementioned 'relentless drums' on the title track are unbelievably catchy, the bridge on
However Long it Takes could rival even the best of songs in history, and
Need it Today will have anybody loving the album right from the first listen.
The only problem with the record is its closer. It's a remake of the closer found on
The Effects of Fashion and Prayer, and is unfortunately a downgrade in almost every way. In the original, the track took it's time (a whole 6 minutes!), and really made you feel satisfied with its ending. Here however, it feels rushed and oversimplified. The male/female duet returns, but it's no longer the end of the song, and she just stops singing as Zach sings the chorus again alone. I suppose it's a lot better for someone who
hasn't heard the original, but this reviewer can only see it as a downgrade.
All in all,
Mean What You Say is an incredibly strong offering from an incredibly great and consistent band. Now all we have to do is wait for the end of an indefinite hiatus....
But wait! They're back! They played at Louder Than Life this year and released a new single, A Quiet War! And no one talks about it?
