ALBUM REVIEW: You Say I Romanticize – Sweeping Promises
Post-punk duo, SWEEPING PROMISES, have put out their newest record You Say I Romanticize. What started as a home-recorded project between Lira Mondal and Caulfield Schnug. The duo put out their debut album in 2020, thanks to the time given by a certain lockdown, and it was followed up by the highly acclaimed Good Living Is Coming For You in 2023 which put their name on the radar for anyone involved in the DIY punk scene.
This release was created over an 18-month-long period, with a title referencing outcasts trying to keep true to themselves whilst dealing with “professional” concerns trying to scrub that away. There’s even a small ode to Mary Shelley with the album concept.
So, with that, how does it sound at the end of the day? Pretty amazing, if you ask our humble opinion. Setting the scene is opening track, Shooting Shadows, that kicks off with energetic guitar riffs before heading into a solid blend of indie rock and punk that’s conveyed by a rougher production, giving it a slight vintage vibe akin to recordings from the 70s. This is then followed by My Friend’s An Entomologist that, whilst similar in genre, includes some psychedelic rock elements and feels like the perfect song to be played when you’re on a long car ride with friends.
What you’ll also notice when listening to record is how much new wave is bought into the mix, giving some songs a funky, dreamlike feel that will just put you in a happier mood. Blended with the punk sounds and rough production, you’ll find it heavily reminiscent of the early new wave movement of the 70s and 80s with easy comparisons drawn to artists like BLONDIE, a fact obvious when listening to tracks like Rapture, Or… and Does He Want To Be The Weatherman?, the perfect epitome of new wave and punk sounds that, frankly, are just plain cool. Accent is a fun tongue in cheek number and Abduction On Camera, a song more lowkey on the punk side but heavily focused on funky sounds with synths and, what we believe to be, a flute.
Outside of the new wave influence, we can also enjoy tracks more focused on the alternative rock side of things that still maintain an unpolished edge. Whether it be Last Man, a bass heavy song that goes in and out of focus yet maintains intrigue thanks to Mordal’s vocals, or My Anchoress and Cocoon which can be summarised, but not limited to, as upbeat alternative tracks that you’ll find yourself bopping your head along to that also draw you in with the undertones of punk along side Write Lightly, a bouncy number that closes out the record.
A solid punk record to help soundtrack your summer, can’t go wrong really.
Rating: 8/10
You Say I Romanticize is out now via Sub Pop.
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