Review: SOPHMORESLUMP CALLITHUMP by STOMACH BOOK released via Crash Blossoms
I almost drafted this on my phone but didn’t. Is this a worthwhile cold open?
I want to say upfront; while I think this is a great record it also has a lot of sounds you've already heard. Even track one, “Are You Waiting” has a combination of a chord progression and vocoder vocals which comes across as pretty unoriginal. When the track kicks in and is really given a chance, however, it’s something to behold. This cliche streak is much more apparent on side-b, there are a lot more basic song structures and I end up with very little to say on the later tracks. It also plays up the edgier sides of Stomach Book in a not so fun way. There are certain segments, especially one specifically where this artist threatens to kill the audience for a very long time, which completely takes me out of the record entirely. Even the good tracks on the second half don’t really bring it as hard. “Tragedy” is a fun emo cut and I want to go back to it but it’s also just not as creative as the earlier half of the album.
There is one feature by zombAe, which I think is fine, but I think vocally the feature itself is nothing much of note. Instrumentally the interloped boa riff is pretty nice and I ultimately enjoy the track but I think it all sort of blends in to everything and I don’t think the track is a highlight.
Okay, I’ve talked enough junk. I did say this is great.
“Casket Kids” takes all of the excitement lost on track one and draws me in much harder. This one has an emo verse into a grind verse and has the opening lyric; “I think I might fuck around and get hit by a car.” All of which is a recipe for something so good and so much fun. It also in general has a bouncy and chaotic energy with horns, skips and a lot of other little throw-offs. I think “Metanoia” is the song, however. There’s a sing-songy type melody as well as an all around threatening vibe making it sound like the theme to a cartoon villain in the best way. While, yes, there is still a simplistic rock tune to it, it's all enhanced by synth and interesting melodies, giving it a character you can’t really find anywhere else. More memorable lyrics including the catching “all my dreams are scary ones can I have yours instead,” are also here. It’s also just the perfect length at two and a half minutes, it’s here then it’s gone.
The record as a whole has a real circus energy and I’m a sucker for circus music fusion. It’s not always so obvious, uses more conventional instruments to do it and combines it with the bells and whistles of midwestern emo but it’s done really well. There are some moments where it’s dug in too deep like the almost too long outro of “Playing Pretend” but it’s all also worth the time spent. I know I was sort of hard on this one, but in spite of a handful of issues I think it’s a great record. This artist was new to me and I’m always happy to have my eyes in new places.
Our score of SOPHMORESLUMP CALLITHUMP is 8/10.
Our favorite track is track 3, METANOIA.
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