Seasoned musicians Zach Porter, Cameron Quiseng, Michael Martinez, and Brent Schnieders have come together, or rather stayed together, to ditch the pop-music scene and hop on over to the indie-rock realm. Their self-titled debut album was self-funded, recruiting producer Jason Lehning (see: musical genius). The combination of the talented quartet and Lehning created a refreshing album, the kind of debut that I, along with many others, I'm sure, like to see.
The lead single "Tears" was released before the rest of the album hit the internet. It is the kind of song that makes you want to drive with all of your windows down with nowhere to go. It is catchy on the surface, but when it comes down to the lyrics, I bow down to Porter. "We got scars reminding us that we got hearts that bleed" and "We got tears so we can weep" are two lines from the chorus that I can see hipsters tattooing all over themselves in the coming years. And that is a compliment.
"Crazy" is a song I constantly find myself singing. Perhaps it is the rawness in Porter's voice, or maybe it is because I enjoy singing "'Cause you're crazy, fucking crazy" to people while playing it off like it is a song. And if this album was not appealing to you already, the track "Fever" fulfills anyone's thirst for an acoustic (mostly) song that can make your heart swell to sizes you never thought possible.
The album is 10 tracks gets right to the point. There was no messing around with the song lengths and improvisational nonsense just because they were free of the "cookie cutter chains" and could, in theory, do whatever they pleased with their sound. The eponymous debut was a graceful and successful transition between projects for the quartet. "Main Girl" and "Alive" are great tracks for former fans of the group, but the album in its entirety is perfect for anyone looking for a new band to keep their eye on.
They prefer not to associate themselves with their previous band, and while I respect that, I have to bring it up in order to truly express how great this transition was. Allstar Weekend was a great band with catchy tunes. The further they progressed musically in that band, the closer to the end it seemed. They were not a band who sang fluff about dancing forever or getting bit by the lovebug. Once you listen to The Tragic Thrills, you realize who they were meant to be all along. It is easy to understand and accept this new project when you listen to this debut album and see how Porter seems to effortlessly weave stories together with his beautiful words.
I give this debut album 4 out of 5 stars and a Most Improved Player award to Zach Porter for being able to prove himself as a brilliant songwriter in this new environment.
*For fans of: Imagine Dragons, The Lumineers, Twin Forks, and Dashboard Confessional*
Post a Comment