Is emo, anthem rock still a thing? After this past year anything is possible, so why not make 2017 stand in as the new 2007? Sorority Noise comes back swinging with You’re Not As _____ As You Think, their latest release since their 2015 EP It Kindly Stopped for Me.
A brief video announcement in January advertising the album’s release on St. Patrick’s Day gave a quick snapshot of Sorority Noise’s latest creation. Elegant calligraphy spells out the title of their latest release; You’re Not As _____ As You Think, filling the blank with interchanging adjectives like dark, happy, genius, depressed and so on. An introspective album is in store for the listener as lyrics read like cathartic monologues. This 10 track release breaks the barrier between artist and listener in attempts to de-romanticize mental illness and loss.
A heavy laden theme of loss and grief guides this album as shadows step in and out of the spotlight. Death after death of friends within the past few years from suicide to drug use has carved grooves in frontman Cameron Boucher’s heart. “A Portrait Of” starts off quiet and angry, “It’s been a while since I've seen God and I'm not trying to lead him on, but he's always trying to f*** me to the tune of my favorite song,” and quickly develops into battling twin guitars and surging pick slides to match the lyrical crisis unfolding.
Produced by Mike Sapone, who’s worked with the likes of Brand New and Taking Back Sunday, Sapone’s influence is obvious on the slower tracks like “First Letter from St. Sean,” “A Better Sun” and “Second Letter from St. Julien.”
Melancholy tracks like “Where Are You” dance over a shimmer of hope, or at least the thought that the light is still at the end of the tunnel. “I've got friends who've died, but everything's gonna be alright. They'll be with me by my side every night and they're with me every time that I bite off more than I can chew.”
While Sorority Noise sings and chants through stages of grief, there is an underlying resilience. An uncomfortable look at uncomfortable subjects, You’re Not As _____ As You Think gives a genuine glimpse at life’s travesties and how to move on from them.
