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LATEST ARTICLES - PAGE 111

Review: The Beautiful Mistake – You’re Not Broken. I Am

The Beautiful Mistake - You're Not Broken. I Am
Adam Grundy

Back onto the scene after a lengthy hiatus, The Beautiful Mistake have released their first new music since 2004 with You’re Not Broken. I Am. Produced by Beau Burchell (Saosin), this short collection of songs shows a lot of promise as the band looks to write the next chapter in their career. The band is comprised of band members Josh Hagquist, Shawn Grover, Josh Quesada, Steve Dunlap, and Jon Berndston, and they seem poised to re-cement themselves into the crowded post-hardcore scene. On this EP, the wide-range emotions felt in their music only speaks to the power of their sound and composure as artists.

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Review: Joywave – Possession

Joywave
Adam Grundy

When Joywave set out to record their third studio album in their home studio in Rochester, New York, even they must have been surprised by how much the result of their work would be so relatable in the chaos of a never-ending pandemic. Produced by Joywave front-man, Daniel Armbruster, the band has created a spacey collection of tracks that breathe new life into a society that is struggling for its sense of direction. In some recent interviews regarding Possession, Armbruster mentioned that the album is an investigation of control, and added, “Our heads are spinning. Every day is crazier than the last. Every screen we walk by is shouting at us, demanding our undivided attention. Control over our own lives is constantly under siege.” This album couldn’t have come at a better time, as this quote sears through the noise of uncertainty going on in our lives at this very moment.

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Review: Nap Eyes – Snapshot of a Beginner

Nap Eyes
Mary Varvaris

Although Nap Eyes couldn’t have predicted the circumstances behind it, their fourth album, Snapshot of a Beginner is a comforting album for the social distancing era. Songwriter and vocalist, Nigel Chapman springs between anxiety-induced stalling of tasks (“Mystery Calling”) to “feeling bored and unquestionably boorish” for writing songs about himself on “Though I Wish I Could.” Snapshot of a Beginner takes both the snappy and slacker rock moments of Nap Eyes’ third album,  I’m Bad Now and encourages your grooviest dance moves to some pensive jams.

The Halifax, Nova Scotia outfit is Chapman, Seamus Dalton on drums and percussion, guitarist Brad Loughead and bassist Joshua Salter. Joining them are producers, James Elkington (Joan Shelley, Steve Gunn), and Jonathan Low (The National, Big Red Machine) to elevate the band’s slick sound with flourishes of additional piano, keyboards, organ, synthesizer, pedal steel guitar, and percussion. Nap Eyes, exceedingly open and clever, may leave you entranced — but, contrary to the name, their music certainly isn’t a slog.

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