In No Particular Order: 3 Underrated Albums You Need To Hear (11/20/20)
Welcome to another INPO – you know what to do!
Featuring the debut release from Columbus indie dream pop group Mungbean, the return of post-hardcore group The Boys of Fall, and Seattle-based indie pop artist Mike Edel, this week’s collection of albums are hidden gems in the world of new releases.
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The Boys of Fall – Distance
7.5/10
Post-hardcore/Emo
For Detroit five-piece Boys of Fall, their new album Distance is what they’ve been aiming for all along. The hooks, heaviness, emotion, and intensity have finally aligned as a band, making for a compelling 10-track effort. Incorporating emo-pop punk into their post-hardcore roots, Distance is as catchy as it is hard-hitting, bringing out hints of mid-’00s bands like A Day To Remember and Dance Gavin Dance, with more contemporary bands like Bearings and Belmont drawing comparisons.
After calling it quits in 2016, the band re-formed to record Distance following their signing to InVogue Records, and perhaps it was the time away, but the band definitely sound at their best. From album opener “Distance” to closer “Closure”, the band keep things interesting, playing with different styles of the rock genre. Pop-punk makes a regular appearance on “Mad Sad” and “Little Disaster”, with more melodic hardcore influences coming out on the title track, “Midnight”, and “Worth It”. The strength of the album is vocalist Michael Martenson’s ability to bring out a compelling performance both with his clean vocals and screaming. Aligning with the band’s heavy-footed instrumentation, the seamless transitions vocally keep the pace of album high and the intensity right behind.
With only a few moments that seem to drag (I’m looking at you auto-tuned intro on “Overthinking”), Distance is both a modern post-hardcore album and one still bringing the strength of its popularity area of the mid-00’s for wondrous results.
Notable tracks: “Distance” // “Worth It” // “Mad Sad”
Mike Edel – En Masse
7.5/10
Indie rock/Indie pop
After following love to Seattle, Canadian artist Mike Edel leaned into his West Coast setting for his new album En Masse. Written before the pandemic, the new album is a colourful and spirited indie pop record about some of the best things in life – love, connectedness, and exploration.
Edel’s strength as a songwriter sneaks up on you, with a few songs on En Masse suddenly flipping a switch to become larger than life, like on the uplifting “Good About Everything” and road-trip ready anthem “Sunshine”. Some sweeter moments such as “Lose You”, “Still Thinking About You”, and “Balcony” provide a softer, more sincere side of his songwriting, as the subject of love elevates the indie pop melodies and spirit, reminiscent of 2010s indie pop group Two Hours Traffic.
With everything occurring in the world, En Masse is a wonderfully heartwarming and optimistic album that helps to remind us that there are still good things to be excited about, like lasting friendships and memory-filled romance.
Notable tracks: “Hello Universe” // “Good About Everything” // “Giving Up On Giving In”
Mungbean – I Love You Say It Back
8/10
Shoegaze/dream-pop
Columbus, Ohio-based indie pop group Mungbean spent the last few years reworking and rerecording their debut album I Love You Say It Back. In their early twenties, the album is a collection of songs about navigating life and the world around them, combining genres at an equally experimental pace. Dream pop, shoegaze, nu-disco, indie pop and rock scatter themselves across the track list, forming lush and detailed songs along the way.
There’s a lot of hidden groove on the record, like stand out moments with the backing synths on “Slow Motion” or the French funk bass line on “”cool””. Fronted by the angelic vocals of Emma Swysgood, ILYSIB has a lovely atmospheric quality similar to Blue Hawaii or Braids thanks to the lush harmonies and accompanying instrumentation. Despite their Ohio home, there is a strange familiarity to the Montreal music scene, tying in electro-pop, jazz, and dream-pop together on “S.A.D.s” and “Images”. The title track and opening song, along with album closer “Angles” book end the album with a hazy, shoegaze vibe, “Angels” being the stronger of the two with its colossal finish.
I Love You Say It Back is a wildly underrated album. Mungbean have all the fixings of a band that are well established and confident in their sound. The genre-bending style of their music is pulled off splendidly, making sure to make every detail count.
Notable tracks: ”Slow Motion” // “”cool”” // “Images”
