Mind Equals Blown

2010 may mark the last socially acceptable year of the clean singer/screamer tandem. By the end of this decade, most listeners have grown to appreciate music with more complex structures and dynamics than the typical post-hardcore offers.  Though they employ most of the techniques ridiculed in the genre, Our Last Night has created another enjoyable record that deserves a few spins.

The formula on We Will All Evolve does not differ from 2008′s The Ghosts Among Us: rough verse-clean chorus or clean verse-rough bridge-clean chorus dominate the album’s span.  What has been added is a more textured and clear approach to the tunes.  The synth presence is greater here than in the past, adding a depth to the tracks that rounds out the sound nicely in songs like “Across The Ocean.”

Maturity has helped Trent Wentworth.  The screamer has developed a fairly unique style that reeks post-hardcore, but has a tinge of thrash and some extra throatiness. Matt Wentworth expertly brings home everything Trent sets up with fantastic clean vocals catchy enough for radio and melodic enough to please fans.

Lead single “Elephants” certainly packs a punch, though it does not reflect the rest of the album’s content.  Our Last Night knows that their best work is upbeat and accessible, and most of the album caters to that thought.  “Mouth Machine Gun” and “Distance Is Detroying Me” prove the thinking well, with Matt’s cleans kicking the tracks off.  Trent makes supplemental appearances to add to the brootal factor and keep the band from being alternative rock, which works in many cases.  Sounds differ slightly with the Of Mice & Men-style writing (not necessarily a bad thing) found on “The Aire I Breathe” and “”Deceiver,” which fits nicely into the OLN realm.

With their young age in mind, it is completely possible the next offering from Our Last Night redefines post-hardcore.  I agree that We Will All Evolve.  This record has firmly established the fundamentals and added slight experimentation.  Enjoy what is here, because this band is ready to make the next step.

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