In No Particular Order: July Talk Transform On New Record & More (07/10/20)
Welcome back to another edition of In No Particular Order, the place for me to share my favourite album releases of the week!
This week, I’ll be diving into the melty goodness that is LA-based songwriter Z Berg, the evolved sound of Toronto rock group July Talk, and Liverpool-based emo band Decay‘s debut release.
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Z Berg – Get Zee To A Nunnery
8/10
Singer-songwriter/Baroque-pop
It feels like forever ago that Z Berg was fronting the L.A. alternative rock group the Like. Granted, it was over a decade ago but on her new solo album Get Zee To A Nunnery, it feels like at least five decades.
Not to say the new record is outdated and stale, rather that it captures the ghosts of her influences and perhaps her past life. Cinematic string arrangements, longing lyrics, and Z Berg’s stunningly captivating vocals bring out hints of ’50s/ ’60s romance films and archival diary entries. If not for the clean production, you might think the record fell from a dusty box in the attic, lost in time and rediscovered nearly 50 years later. Alas, Z Berg is from this timeline.
Her voice takes centre stage on the record, with tracks like “To Forget You”, “Time Flies”, and “Berg And I” allowing Z to flex her range and consume the listener with her earthy, angelic voice and lyrical storytelling. She commands your attention, each song on the album acting as a siren song drawing the listener in and creating the illusion of safety and intimacy with accompanying piano arrangement serving as the rocky shores.
Notable tracks: “To Forget You” / “I Fall For The Same Face Every Time” / “The Bad List”
July Talk – Pray For It
8.5/10
Alternative rock
With two chart-topping albums under their belts, Toronto alternative rock group July Talk are back with their third album Pray For It. While many fans may be looking forward to the return of their gritty, call-and-response alt-rock style, the band have shifted gears and redeveloped their sound to leave behind the radio charts and instead focus on making passionate, soulful music.
The atmospheric and serene opening of “Identical Love” instantly forces longtime fans to re-evaluate what they’ve come to know of July Talk. The familiar deep croon of co-vocalist Peter Dreimanis sets the tone, singing “I want to be changed / I want to be rearranged”, highlighting the album’s underlying theme of renewal. While the 11 track effort explore ideas surrounding the transformation of love (“Identical Love”, “Good Enough”), humanity (“Pay For It”), and social norms (“Champagne”, Governess Shadow”), what really stands out is the band’s seamless transition into a more fulfilling sonic style. Their sophomore album Touch began to show a slight shift, but it really comes to life on Pray For It as they explore some uncharted territory, including gospel-infused rock on “Champagne”, and more poignant alt-rock on “Pay For It” and “See You Thru”.
Naturally, their lead singles “Pay For It”, “Identical Love”, and the fast-firing “Governess Shadow” take top spot on the record, but there are surprises scattered across the track list that show July Talk continue to evolve for the better.
Notable tracks: “Identical Love” // “Pay For It” // “Governess Shadow”
Decay – Staring At The Sun
6.5/10
Post-hardcore/Emo rock
Like any good post-hardcore or emo rock group, the strongest releases come at a time of major setbacks and unhappiness. Members from the Liverpool four-piece Decay were all experiencing moments of emotional hardships, including death, grievance, and heartbreak, when they set out of write their debut album. On the new full-length Staring At the Sun, they were able to release some of the pain and turmoil into the track list on the cathartic, heavy-hitting effort, following the ebb and flow of life’s inevitable struggles.
Inspired by the likes of Title Fight, Citizen, and other more melodic emo rock bands, Decay find a balance between drilling hardcore instrumentation with more clean, articulate delivery, allowing listeners to hear the crushing lyrics and feel the resilient instrumentation. “Empty Feelings”, “Ache”, and “Misery” showcase the bands ability to crank up the volume in the likes of Silverstein and Brand New, while lighter favourites “September 27th” and “Hold On” are reminiscent of American Football and Taking Back Sunday.
For a debut record, Decay have hit the ground running, although tripping up on a few soft spots along the way. Nevertheless, the emotion, volume, and hooks that are expected on an ear-grabbing post-hardcore release are there and it’ll be exciting to see what is next to come.
Notable tracks: “Staring At the Sun” // “Empty Feelings” // “Comfortable”
