Usually I can stay on a schedule if I write time slots next to everything, but lately I’ve been flustered and things get moved around more than an Army brat. Apart From This was intended to be a review written on a Monday night after my adrenaline was still pumping from a season finale that left me heartbroken over the fate of (one of) my small screen boyfriends. Instead I listened to In Gloom over and over, one track in particular, and kept doodling around my notes like a grade school kid stuck in a daydream.
The daydream continued as “Boltcutter” and “Pabulum” played. Nothing in those songs did anything for me and my interest went towards the muted TV that made me question, who knew the dad from Dirty Dancing had other acting jobs? Things turned around with “Chronic Youth,” as it started out with this cult like sound and my mind went back to that season finale I mentioned earlier; The Following.
Not every turn on this album made my mind drift to television though. “In Gloom” had a flow of rhymes that caught my attention, but it didn’t have the depth or sound I was searching for on this record. Here enters the two that I am going to suggest and note for the rest of the year. While most of the record was flooded with this rock sound that was bred from pain and a bit sullen, “History of Bad News” was catchy and could be considered pop punk. The other song I took on as my own was “Small Town Syndrome.” 99% of people who grew up in a small town will identify with the lyrics, I did. Like this well-crafted track says, small towns have a tendency to wear you down and choke the creativity from your identity.
Sometimes it’s hard to shake a daydream while listening to an album and get back on track. That was half the case when it came to Apart From This’ In Gloom. Once I shook off the tracks that weren’t able to break into my train of thought, I heard some songs that both pleased my taste and history. If you’re into bands like Turnover and Basement, then stop your daydreaming and check out In Gloom, out May 6th.
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