BeatRoute Magazine AB print e-edition - April 2017

Beatles-y (the complex mysticism and elation of
“Fantasy Island”), moments that feel like a humble
southern country throwback (“Mildenhall”),
and moments that do touch upon that old Shins
vibe of being somber and saccharine at the
same time (“The Fear,” “So Now What”). With a
perfectly balanced production, this album slowly
scratched and crawled its way into my heart,
like its own little Heartworm. It’s burrowed its
way in and is there to stay.
• Willow Grier
Suicide Silence
Suicide Silence
Nuclear Blast
Trying to improve on deathcore by making it
into nu-metal is like trying to improve a pool of
cold vomit by eating it and turning it into shit.
That’s what California’s Suicide Silence have
done on their fifth and definitively worst album.
Self-titling an album is a bold statement: this
is us, pure Suicide Silence, the closest you’ll
get to a best-of. It’s probably not a good move
on SS’s part to abandon their sound (more or
less prototypical deathcore; death metal and
metalcore mixed without a single good element
of either) in favor of toned-down baggy-shortscore
with a reliance on clean singing that inflicts
every one of vocalist Hernan “Eddie” Hermida’s
inane lyrics on you.
They’ve not only gone nu-metal for no particular
reason but released a bad nu-metal record.
Nowhere do they match KoRn’s groove or Deftones’
soulful slow burn: all that’s left is a band
that could be on the 2006 Family Values Tour,
scheduled mid-afternoon between 10 Years and
Deadsy then forgotten.
• Gareth Watkins
Surf Dads
All Day Breakfast
Grind Central Records
While it is doubtful that Regina duo Chris Dimas
and Gage McGuire are fathers, they are the
talent behind the Surf Dads. After releasing three
EPs, they come at us with their first full-length
album, All Day Breakfast. While it might be a
little bold to call them the fathers of surf, this
album is warm and breezy and encapsulates the
young energy that summer brings. The first of 12
tracks, “Up All Night,” is reminiscent of bands like
Weezer and Alvvays, with the fast guitars, nimble
drums and starry-eyed vocals. It speaks to the
mistakes we make and the remorse that often
follows. It’s like doing the walk of shame in your
head. Beyond the catchy hooks and shimmery
riffs, there is substance in the lyrics. On one hand
you have the track “Pinpoint,” where “dig your
own hole / I’ll pass you a shovel” is hollered out,
only to have Beach Boys like harmonies in “Apologies”
two tracks later. Yet the album flows well,
the energy is wired and to resist the urge to dance
like a maniac would be futile.
• Aja Cadman
Tennis
Yours Conditionally
Mutually Detrimental
Staring at the cover of Tennis’ new album Yours
Conditionally, I can’t help but feel that I’m staring
at a sun-bleached portrait of my parents in
the mid to late ‘70s, shortly after they would
have met. The album harkens to that period,
where my parents were falling in love; my mom
had the same tight curly hair, and my dad had
a hilarious, if not ironic, Gregg Allman-esque
mustache, both like Tennis’ Alaina Moore and
Patrick Riley.
Through its softness, opener “In the Morning
I’ll Be Better,” reminds the listener that your
physical or mental exhaustion can be cured
by morning. Atop Moore’s soft falsetto, the
reminder is bittersweet, like ice cream melting
down the cone and into your hand on a brazen
summer day.
Like a long-term relationship or a particularly
scorching summer, the album kind of
moves in and out of a haze; there are moments
of heartache and grandeur. Besides the above,
“Modern Woman” and “Ladies Don’t Play
Guitar” are two standouts. The first is a heartbreaking
lament for friendships lost, which
uses musical repetition and haze as a means to
an end. The second is a sarcastic take on the
instances where females have been (and still
are) treated as muses, not musicians, in music
journalism. The sting of its wit and of its guitar
don’t go unnoticed.
Unfortunately for Tennis, I don’t think this
album will stand the test of time quite like my
parents (29 years and counting!). It’s enjoyable,
light, airy, and sweet, but fades from mind too
quickly.
• Trent Warner
Western Addiction
Tremulous
Fat Wreck Chords
For fans of San Francisco based hardcore band,
Western Addiction, it is time to rejoice! The
band has finally released their very long-awaited
follow-up record, entitled Tremulous.
Released 12 years after their debut album,
Cognicide, Tremulous was worth the wait. To
produce this record, many of the band’s founding
members were called upon, which rooted
Tremulous with the same aggressive feeling as
their past recordings. The difference from past
releases is the distinctive melodic sound, which
gives the album a twist that both fans and firsttime
listeners will appreciate.
Tremulous is a dark and heavy album featuring
deep, brooding lyrics, but unlike most
hardcore releases, Tremulous features frontman
Jason Hall’s finest attempt at singing. Not the
hoarse, scathing vocals normally heard in the
genre. Songs like, “Righteous Lightning,” will
have you chanting along, while “Honeycreeper,”
will have you yearning for a circle pit. Although
the overall feel of Tremulous is dark, the rhythm
has its highs and lows; upbeat and melodic to a
steady downtempo.
The guys in Western Addiction haven’t lost
their edge in the decade that’s passed, they’ve
fine-tuned their sound and perfected their style
to produce a record worthy of waiting 12 years
for and absolutely one to be proud of.
• Sarah Mac
56 | APRIL 2017 • BEATROUTE