ALBUM REVIEW: Everything I Ever Saw – The Menzingers
THE MENZINGERS return with their wonderful brand of punk rock with their eighth album; Everything I Ever Saw. It’s an album that feels like a warm hug from an old friend as it provides eleven new sun soaked tracks which are tailor made for warm summer days like we’re currently experiencing. Whilst the sound still remains the same as previous offerings, it’s always a great time when THE MENZINGERS grace our ears as they help us make sense of what has come in the past and what could come in the years to come.
Kicking off this latest iteration of THE MENZINGERS is the great album opener; Chance Encounters. Blasting away the cobwebs with a great grungey riff that announces the album’s arrival before the ever familiar and emotional sounding vocal styles of both Greg Barnett and Tom May bring us a level of comfort by hearing their voices once more. It’s a great opener that sets the tone great for what else is to come. Following on is Better Angels which starts almost like a church sermon as an organ underlies Barnett’s impressive vocals as you’re almost raising your hands upwards. Normal service resumes as the crashing of drums brings back that classic MENZINGERS sound with a great driving feel. It gives off a vibe of driving down a long road as a setting sun casts an orange glow at the end of the day. It makes you want to dance, it makes you want to sing and sticks with you after listening. As we power through, we get to Romanticism, which once again brings the emotions that the likes of THE MENZINGERS, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN bring to us, as it works as an ode to loved ones which all three of these artists do so superbly as it becomes an early album highlight.
Other People’s Money slows down proceedings slightly with a fun ditty with an absolute earworm of a chorus, long after you’ll be singing “OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY! LA DEE DA!” After the first three songs that go at quite a fast pace, this one is a welcome break in that and helps to keep the album a little bit different. Gasoline & Matches is one of the album’s more emotional tracks, it has a darker tone compared to other tracks and really hits home a few times during this particular centrepiece. Revolving around the encouragement of a struggling friend, it’s a song that is instantly relatable. We ourselves may not be struggling but we will know someone who is, so to have a song like this taking stock of life creates a powerful moment around the halfway point, it’s superb stuff. The Fool continues the slightly darker tone but offers some light in the darkness as we have May singing that no matter what happens in life “He is the believer and the dreamer”. The feels don’t stop there either with Nobody’s Heroes, which could be seen as a song about May’s divorce. It’s another centrepiece that this record hits you with as it takes stock of life and how parts of that can just end with its bittersweet and melancholic tone in the lyrics of “The future always seemed far away. But we’ve entered it now, and it’s a fucking mess, for crying out loud”. It shows why THE MENZINGERS continue to be at the top of their game with each release.
Breathe begins our journey to albums end with a great riff that sticks with you as it loops round your head. It brings a more upbeat sound after being hit around the head with the hammer of emotions as it brings us back into happier times as it reflects on what has been but looks forward. When She Enters My Dreams is more a reflective anecdote rather than relying on nostalgia. It’s another emotional gut punch once again captures that lightning in a bottle (this band must have hundreds of those) that keeps this album driving to its bittersweet yet victorious end as it details the feelings of falling in love and wanting to recapture that in your dreams. It’s stunning stuff as it becomes more and more harder to pick a stand out in this album, before realising that this could be one of their best albums they’ve done. Parade Day could easily work as Everything I Ever Saw’s finale. Instead, it’s the penultimate offering and once again shows off the rich writing skills of this band as they show no boundaries of their talent. It’s one we can all relate to, being with those friends you trust your life with but knowing you can’t always see them. But you hold onto those moments and every second even though you don’t know when the next time you’ll all be together is. It’s enough to bring a tear to your eye and message your pals straight away. The albums namesake; Everything I Ever Saw brings us to a victorious ending with the lyrics once again packing that emotional punch as Barnett begs himself and the listener to be more present in life with “I don’t wanna live, I just wanna remember, everything I ever saw”. It helps you appreciate moments in life, no matter how significant they are as it has you screaming along in happy tears until its very last note. It’s simply superb and powerful stuff that THE MENZINGERS and only a handful of others are masters of their craft of.
It’s been nearly 20 years since the first album by THE MENZINGERS (sorry to make you all feel old, but we felt old too as we realised this!) and in that time, you’d be forgiven for thinking their best albums have come and gone. HOWEVER, that was until Everything I Ever Saw came along. It easily goes toe to toe with the band’s very best as it takes you through reflective moments in life and begs you to be present or you won’t remember the good moments and sticks with you long after listening. There isn’t a weak moment, wasted lyric or emotional gut punch wasted once on this. As soon as it’s over, you may want to listen to it again, but the tears from the first listen will remain.
Rating: 9/10
Everything I Ever Saw is set for release on July 17th via Epitaph Records.
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