ALBUM REVIEW: deathdreams – Survival Guide
Death is the ultimate taboo subject. Nobody likes to think of loved ones no longer being here, let alone their own mortality. But for Emily Whitehurst – former vocalist of punk band TSUNAMI BOMB – death is something she grew up with, as her family owned a funeral home in the town she grew up in. She also sadly lost her older brother to brain cancer. Therefore, it makes sense that her music has themes of death. On her fourth album under her solo project SURVIVAL GUIDE, the overarching themes came from of a handful of dreams she had about her own death. Hence, deathdreams.
Bad Seeds opens the album with an electro-indie rock beat that overwhelms the song a bit, which means that the vocals are sometimes a little hard to hear. This is especially true during the second verse, where the heavy thumping bass mixes poorly with the light and airy vocals. Thankfully, this improves during Sour Sorrow, whose typewriter beat is not only unique but also allows Whitehurst‘s vocals to take centre stage, which is welcome because her voice is powerful and compelling. The electronic synths can be rather charming too, such as the catchy trumpet and keyboard synths in Pie, or the darker and grittier ones mixed into the guitar and drums in Sharpshooter.
Lady Neptune is a dance-influenced song where the synths thankfully do not overwhelm the vocals. The song is extremely upbeat, and is a stark contrast to the next track Wordswordswords, which – whilst still upbeat – has moments of melancholy, especially when it comes to the lyrics. The line “Why do I always feel like I’m on the brink?” is repeated throughout the song and becomes something of an earworm.
Overall the album is quite mid-paced; there are songs that make you want to get up and dance, and others that demand you sit and truly listen to them, but even the slower songs are not too slow and are generally more mid-tempo. Closer I’ll Picture You deviates from this by being a slow, piano-led song. The sparse production means that the vocals are centre stage, and the lyrics are heartwarming, although sad. They tell a story about how the narrator will picture a loved one before the narrator dies. Whilst it is a bittersweet note to end on, it feels very appropriate for this album.
Somewhat shaky start aside, deathdreams is a compelling and unique album all about being appreciative of life and all it has to offer. The different takes on electronica music throughout the album make it an interesting listening experience, and the vocals are impressive throughout and especially on the closer. All told, it is another great entry for SURVIVAL GUIDE.
Rating: 8/10
deathdreams is set for release on October 19th via Double Helix Records.
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