Yard Party - 'In Search Of An Exit' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Moving Day (Reprise)

2. Dead Heart Revival

3. The Chains That Blind

4. Fall Apart

5. I Left The Stove On...

6. A Plane Out Of Phase

7. Pendulum

8. The Sleeping Spell

9. Final Transmission

10. Attic Ghosts

In the interest of full disclosure I'll admit that I am friends with Yard Party. But let's pretend for a second that I've never heard them before (like you, probably) and I've just been handed a pair of headphones that are playing the final track from this debut album, 'Attic Ghosts'. Soaked in pleasant reverb, dual vocals that are melodic but edged out with the emotion underscoring the words, atmospheric keys and sonic touches, dynamics that are fully fleshed out by a tight-as-hell rhythm section, and a killer chorus that's backed to an almost choir-like level that will stick in your head for days. The album in its entirety sounding like Fugazi and The Cure teaming up to write with The Menzingers. At the end of the day it's a fully formed debut album that sidestepped the gate entirely and just appeared at your front door knowing that it speaks for itself.

As a music fan and writer I completely understand the need for genre categorization. But as a musician I almost always feel pigeonholed by it. The interesting thing about 'In Search Of An Exit' is that it feels like an Alternative Rock album. At its core it draws equally from Indie Rock, Post-Hardcore/Emo, Goth Rock and the myriad other tentacles of Rock. But it casts a broad spectrum net in it's songwriting. Anchored pretty much equally by Ryan Roosa's dynamic tenor and David Oliveri's vibrant baritone the record paints a lyrical picture that's honest and urgent in its emotions and coupled with varying delivery to match. Both singers provide the guitars and they fill up the melodic space pretty much in sync with their vocal counterparts. Tonally they compliment each other and fill in the gaps rather than overpower, with a technical understanding and sonic adventurousness that always interests the ear and never feels show-offy. The rhythm section of Tim Lewis and Zach Ford is constant throughout the record, making sure you can move to the songs if you want and carrying them through each twist and turn without breaking a sweat, although by the sound of it they should be soaked. We all know that brothers in a band can be a mix for disaster but Tyler Roosa adds synths, piano, and general atmosphere to bring the whole combination of elements together in a stand-out fashion.

Okay, like I said before, I know all of these guys and have stood on the sidelines of shows singing what I thought the words were. I've been anticipating this release and I can say with what little journalistic integrity I have (very little) that this is a damn fine piece of music. A full-on debut that carries its bleeding heart on its shoulder to what would be entry into the collection of any music fan who considers themselves a part of the 'alternative'.