Tuesday, March 25, 2014

3/25/14

My most anticipated album of the year has easily been The Menzingers, and hearing the latest track advance is only making me flip out for it more.  This might be the most perfect song I've heard all year. 

I remember how hooked I was on this band as soon as I heard "Gates" and then the rest of "On the Impossible Past," how I overplayed that album all summer long feeling sorry for myself, and how much I loved they were from PA (turns out, they once many years ago played alongside my friend's then-band). If the first two tracks are any indication, their next album will hold onto that same intense conviction but with an extra dash of heartfelt wigged-out wisdom, cleaned up layers and a nice bass-oriented mix.

Lyrically, "I Don't Want To Be An Asshole Anymore" is as focused as the title makes it sound, and full of rip-your-heart-out metaphors. The song bleeds realization at its most romantic, and realisitc. I'm more than a little addicted to it already. The way this song is put together is incredibly smart. It moves with you. Layered harmonies and cymbal rolls add subtle depth, and gang vocals with a great line of a hook in the chorus offer a pop friendly format. But it's not soft by any measure, since the whole thing is drenched in heavy bass, crash-fueled fills and not a small amount of cursing. I love how he screams the chorus and the title line, like an anthematic declaration of a new chapter. It's aggressive and reckless and it's everything I want to hear out of this badass band from Scranton who I hope will be soundtracking my spring and summer once more, only maybe with a little less feeling sorry and a little more feeling alive.

"You're the only lover that I ever missed
Ever been hopeless in  love with 
Look at this tangle of thorns 
I don't wanna be an asshole anymore." 
~I Don't Wanna Be an Asshole Anymore
The Menzingers, Rented World