The heat has landed in Los Angeles, and just when I didn’t think things could get any hotter, NameSake’s, Borders & Fences, graced my inbox. Normally, I wouldn’t dare think to move – sweating has a tendency to keep my limbs glued fiercely together. However, this is not an album for hipsters. When you listen to Namesake, you are either moved or you will be moved – literally.
I always try to play a guessing game with tracks, just to keep things, not just interesting but surprising. For instance, the song “Tragically,” sounds like it would be something of a slow jam, right? Nah. Within seconds, Namesake establishes a sound built off intense emotions of cynicism and betrayal. Guitars wail. There are dramatic pauses for shallow breaths. You can feel the humidity of the song seeping into the back of your shirt. The lyrics bid farewell: “Tragically, maybe I’ll say, that all you were was a memory.”
Though not as intense as their introduction, Borders & Fences remains consistent with its deliverance of upbeat energy. “Times of Our Lives” and “Saturday” kept me in constant momentum, making it hard for me to cool off in this summer heat wave. Well, come to think of it, not every song pushed me into a sweltering pit. There are tender moments with soft words, as in “Look Me Up”: “You’re turning yourself into an origami bird…so you can fly around with me.” I see this track being easily turned into a Tumblr lyric-image or gif. for all the heartbroken. There are many other great one-liners that express loss of a love/heart and the longing to be remembered.
And then came “The Movement.” I’m not sure if I can chalk up the small tears at the corner of my eyes to hormones or the fact that this is a really well composed anthem-esque jam. We’ll go with the latter. This song wonderfully closes the album, slowing our pulses to the same tempo. We can finally take deeper breaths and feel the breeze on the back of our damp necks.
Borders & Fences, as trapping as it sounds, is not limiting in any way. What I feel this album does is take us beyond and introduce us to experiences we’ve dare not venture to on our own. For listeners who enjoy the old school vocals of the band, Self Against City, and the energy of Yellowcard. Borders & Fences drops tomorrow, August 7, courtesy of Imagen Records.
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