ALBUM REVIEW: I Wish I Never Quit – Games We Play
Emo artist, Games We Play, has put out their newest record I Wish I Never Quit. Created by multi-instrumentalist, Emmyn Calleiro, the album was written after a period where he experienced severe burn out and came close to saying goodbye to the music industry. Yet after taking a break where Callerio and his wife had their first child, he picked himself back up and rebuilt himself and his career, resulting in the album we have before us today.
When it comes to emo-rock territory, to say that the lyrics take on a personal nature is a heavy understatement and a fact we’ve all come to expect. But in this case the lyrics aren’t just personal, they take on a whole array of emotional stages and self-deprecation, at times becoming borderline satirical whilst still balancing the line of being just pure brutal honesty. A statement we know to be very true from the start with the aptly titled opening track, A Proper Introduction, which opens acoustically before the full band comes in to shift the track into upbeat emo. The lyrics give a bluntly harsh, but at times funny, introduction and summary of Emmyn’s life story and career so far where he gives details that others might shy away from revealing, but Callerio certainly isn’t. And, you know what? We can picture this becoming a somewhat anthem and singalong moment during a live show.
The songwriting on this record is hard to summarise in one simple sentence, as we’ve previously mentioned saying it’s personal is an understatement: it’s unpolished poetry that doesn’t shy away from unsavoury details, yet it flows so eloquently. A majority of this album falls into this territory as Callerio recounts personal stories and deeper emotions with little tongue in cheek anecdotes, with songs like Is This What I’m Made Of and Right Place, Wrong Timing coming to mind. Other songs that can also be placed in this category, yet go above and beyond, are The Smash, which takes on a little blues influence thanks to bassline in the foreground and goes into a satirical take on what an artist should be like that’s also borderline truthful as some insecurities float to the surface; and This Is A… Song that we can very easily point to the “I’m this picture and I don’t like it” meme and no other words would be needed to describe it.
And towards the end, we experience a softer side with the final two tracks; Enid, which is part an ode to someone from your past who was important but no longer here, part reminiscing, and part saying goodbye; and Maybe I’m Right, which gives the vibe of a raw recording with the soft background noises and offers a full circle moment where we take all of the emotions and thoughts narrated throughout the record. It’s a song about healing, thinking back on life and how it all eventually leads you down the right path despite how non-linear it is and concludes that, in the end, we all deserve happiness. A lovely way to end a solid record.
Rating: 9/10
I Wish I Never Quit is out now via Nettwerk Music Group.
Like GAMES WE PLAY on Facebook.