itoldyouiwouldeatyou - 'Oh Dearism' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Earl, King, Whatever

2. Gold Rush

3. Young American

4. Almost Zero

5. Gathering Things Together And Not Dividing Them

6. Get Terrified

7. Craiglockhart

8. Greek Fire

9. Goodbye To All That

“Oh Dearism” is the new album from London band itoldyouiwouldeatyou. This has been a strange review to do, as I just can’t settle with this album.

There are positives with the album, some of the vocals are just brilliant and the musicianship is amazing. You’d think this was due to years of a group playing together but given the rotating line up it’s an even more impressive feat. But alas, I fear there are more negatives than positives.

'Get Terrified' sums up this album for me...there are bits where I’m following it and it’s sounding good and then it wrong foots me with a change in pace or melody and I’m left thinking more about the change than I am about the music. Don’t get me wrong, a bit of wrong footing can be a good thing, but here it just leaves me being unable to really sit back and listen. Even on a 2 hour train journey, I’ve had to resist the urge to swap to an audiobook.

For me there’s an overwhelming “Let’s dick about with things because it’ll be clever” feeling about the album and I hate that. Have a dick about by all means but let me feel like it’s to the benefit of the music rather than just for your own amusement or, even worse, in a misguided attempt to subvert the genre like some deluded Masterchef contestant hell bent on deconstructing a cheese and pickle sandwich.

The album opens with “Earl, King, Whatever” which reminds me of MCR...there’s elements of Emo but there are other influences there which I can’t quite put my finger on. Probably my favourite track is 'Greek Fire'...which meanders over 8:39 and, bizarrely for the longest track on the album, has been dicked about with least.

The album closes with “Goodbye To All That” which has singer Joey Ashworth regaling us with a story of a rabbit and a hare and their unlikely but intense friendship, with changing musical accompaniment...it’s quite sweet but at the same time quite baffling.

I think that “Oh Dearism” and I will have to agree to disagree and forever go our separate ways.