The Menzingers - 'Everything I Ever Saw' Album Review

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Tracklist:

1. Chance Encounters

2. Better Angels

3. Romanticism

4. Other People's Money

5. Gasoline & Matches

6. The Fool

7. Nobody's Heroes

8. Breathe With Me

9. When She Enters My Dreams

10. Parade Day

11. Everything I Ever Saw

Philadelphia punks The Menzingers return with their 8th studio album 'Everything I Ever Saw', released July 17th via long time label Epitaph Records.

The record opens with 'Chance Encounters', crashing right in with guitars before making way for the signature emotive vocals. Greg Barnett's vocals are as beautifully emotional as ever, mixing vibrato with a subtle amount of grit, really punctuating the heartbreaking vocals in the moments where they need punctuated.

'Better Angels', fittingly, begins with a religious-sounding organ, before the band's signature punk styling kicks back in. It's a slower track, taking on a softer edge without any of the grit shown in the previous song, but still contains some impressive flashes of drum fills, the melodious vocals are incredibly infectious, and the bridge into the outro is a surefire concert singalong.

Bringing slightly more attitude is ''Romanticism. A slightly edgier bassline initially takes the forefront, before the more emotional guitars kick back in. The vocals remain soft and beautifully expressive, again with that natural vibrato that heightens the emotion of the track.

'Other People's Money' leans heavily on the combination of piano, acoustic guitar and subtle, constant bass to maintain that softer atmosphere, that piano playing beautifully against the vocals, especially in the post chorus. Again, it's another song designed to be sing along to, with the many la-di-das and oh-whoa-ohs littered throughout the track. It's the kind of song you'd put your arms around your friends and belt out at a gig.

'Gasoline & Matches' takes a weirder, glitchier turn before introducing those soft, emotive instrumentals. Somehow this track feels even more melancholic, with even more of a focus on the acoustic guitars,providing a nice, gentle atmosphere that fits the band's vibe nicely.

Horns are introduced in the intro to 'The Fool', giving way to a more upbeat, optimistic feeling track, despite maintaining a mixture of downbeat lyrics. It's definitely bittersweet, and the returning horns in the post-choruses/the final chorus are a really nice touch, accentuated with the songs fade out.

'Nobody's Heroes' brings back the organ and slows the pace, this time in a more defiant and triumphant way. Mixing those horns back in is another master stroke, it takes the emotion in a different direction, in a more self-affirmative way that really works with the band's style.

'Breathe With Me' combines a slowed down, almost Sum 41-esque guitar riff into the established sound of the album, which plays very nicely off the gentle strumming acoustic guitar. This carries on throughout, into the understated guitar solo, which doesn't take things to an insane height, but maintains the consistency we've seen so far.

'When She Enters My Dreams' maintains the course once again, this time with some belted vocals that fit in very nicely, showcasing the vocal talents even further. The title is very apt, creating a very dreamy soundscape.

Penultimate cut 'Parade Day' is another bittersweet track, summed up perfectly in the early lyric of "I can't wait forever but I'm damned if I don't try". It's forlorn, but in a more upbeat fashion than you'd expect. The drums reverberate around around your ears in a big way, playing very nicely with those subtle guitars.

Closer 'Everything I Ever Saw' picks up the pace slightly, and provides a cathartic end to the record which encapsulates a range of different personal experiences for the members in the time they spent working on the record. The slight grit returns in yet another subtle way, and finishes the album on a nice high note.

As I've alluded to, this is an extremely emotionally cathartic record that reflects very different ends of the emotional spectrum for the band members, and it is navigated so so well. It definitely feels, for lack of a better word, softer than the band's previous work, but in those moments it thrives, showing even more of a heart-on-the-sleeve attitude, which is impressive for a band that has maintained that attitude through their career thus far.