- Lightning Turns Sawdust Gold & I Can't Stand You Anymore are amazing
- Crucible is all over the place...might take a few listens to get into it
- Throw Me Down the Stairs is similar to Crucible in that it feels like 4 songs meshed into 1 really obnoxious track. I only really liked the last 45 seconds ("Don't flinch, count to 3, and throw me down the stairs please")
- Unlimited Dark Paths has some really beautiful parts (when Alexis takes on this falsetto and the song calms down a bit) but other than that, it's just...really brash (not necessarily in a good way). It probably will be a grower.
- I Know Not to Count On You has some really interesting acoustics...it really showcases Alexis's voice, but the track doesn't go anywhere
- Baptism By Fire is definitely one of the standouts. Really beautiful melody.
- As If is super ****ing annoying but also super ****ing fun. It's got LOUD guitars. Like, Reign of Terror loud.
I definitely think it'll take me some time to get into the record, but I think I'll end up really enjoying it. For me, one of the biggest issues is that so many songs feel like they could be really amazing if they didn't take so many left turns. Like, you have a good melody going, why are you going to change it 4 times? It's definitely a good progression from Bitter Rivals and it's obvious they are still growing in terms of songwriting and production. I would say
Reign of Terror > Treats = Jessica Rabbit > Bitter Rivals
I Can't Stand You Anymore
This album will be on repeat all night. I love how they continue to push boundaries when it comes to their sound. Innovative legends
That was so good this poppier sound really suits them. I'm not sure if it's better than Treats but they're completely different albums. Highkey impressed, I'd kinda given up after That Did It.
Trinity: Lightining Turns Sawdust Gold • I Can't Stand You Anymore • It's Just Us Now
Treats =/= Jessica Rabbit > Reign Of Terror > Bitter Rivals
I do agree that the messy multiple songs in one are kinda unneeded. The melodies are fine in the first place, but four good ones just make it seem very unfocused. The songs are still good, but jarring and somewhat irritating.
Derek seems to be stanning for Torn Clean, Loyal For, and I Know Not To Count On You but they're probably the weakest ones
I largely like the more wordy songwriting, but it also feels kinda lazy? I can't remember which song but they reused the 'manic and breathless' line in Champions of Unrestricted Beauty at some point, RNO and ICOS talk about fields, there's lots of talk about death/talk/blood etc... I think it's okay if not ideal at this length but they'll need to change it up more next time.