This New York trio
pull from a long line of rock records built on sharp riffs, restless momentum
and choruses meant to be shouted back from the floor of a packed room.
However, "Wait," the second single from their upcoming EP BLOOM, reveals a
different side of the band. Under the distortion and forward motion sits
something far less certain.
"Wait" circles around regret. But what
separates it from the pile of apology songs released every year is the refusal
of easy redemption. There is no disclosure waiting at the end of the tunnel.
No neat resolution, but a person standing in the ruins of their own decisions,
staring at what remains.
We hear the voice of someone sorting
through the wreckage of a choice that cannot be undone. This voice is
preoccupied with consequences rather than excuses. It attempts to map the
fallout of a collapsing relationship. There is guilt, but no self-pity.
The band skips the usual rock star postures. Instead, they write
about broken promises and choices that could not be hidden, delivering lines
about running away and hurting the people who stayed. There is an admirable
lack of armour in those words.
There are massive guitar layers and
choruses, clean melodic verses, heavy drums and bass and a hook designed to
stick. The music is as much interested in attitude as in atmosphere. It has
the tension that lingers between sound and subject.
But it reveals
something even more, something under its bright, radio-ready exterior. It’s
the maturity presented through such a melancholic subject matter.