ALBUM REVIEW: If It Matters – Inside Voices
A decade into their career, INSIDE VOICES offer their second album If It Matters. Part consolidation of where they have come from and part re-introduction to where they are going, INSIDE VOICES assure that no corner of their sound is left unturned. In this process, they set alt rock, indie and emo influences to introspective lyricism, foregrounding emotional weight against dynamic soundscapes.
Opening track The Desire finds INSIDE VOICES laying the groundwork for the album’s distinct characteristics. Each instrument enters, layering mathy guitar riffs over driving drums. The juxtaposing of sparklier riffs over weightier beats comes to define the intriguing turns that If It Matters takes. As the main hook of The Desire hits, the song picks up and offers bouncing melodies and an energetic pulse that propels you into the album.
Amidst this sonic exploration, INSIDE VOICES turn their lyrics to introspective musings throughout the album. The band tackle emotion head on, and this lyrical sharpness ensures the album’s cohesion. Same Thing explores feelings of being lost and stuck, whilst set to twinkly guitar riffs and pummelling drums. Equally, Memento takes a slower pace and deals with anxiety and overthinking with a candid vulnerability.
INSIDE VOICES wear their hearts on their sleeves on If It Matters, and this strikes best when paired with their shifting between varying sounds. The energy of the album finds its strength in tracks Way Back To Myself and Still Cheesin. The former carries jangly guitars over driving beats whilst contemplating the process of self-discovery. Equally, Still Cheesin boasts dynamic rises and falls, consistently invoking new sounds and interesting turns amongst its bouncing hooks.
Following these strident moments, however, If It Matters takes a turn during the instrumental track In The View. The song ushers a shift, and in the second half of If It Matters songs like Memento and Into Nothing take on a moodier atmosphere with deeper guitar lines and heavier production. These later tracks blend into one another, cohesively weaving together and yet, veering into repetitive territory.
This moodier tone is at times compelling and offers an intriguing counterpoint in the second half of the album. Way Out From Here maintains some of the albums driving energy, and similarly Grounding builds out from a discreet instrumental to an explosion of guitars and horns. These tracks lean more into grand builds, offering a cathartic emotional experience. This blends deftly with Into Nothing, and ultimately, with the title track If It Matters, which concludes the album on a grand finale, offering a final emotional payoff.
On If It Matters, INSIDE VOICES seek to offer vulnerability and introspection, and lace each track with an intense emotional sharpness. The payoff for this is delivered when INSIDE VOICES layer intriguing shifts between heavy basslines, driving drums and mathy riffs. Though it loses some of its momentum, it is in the moments it can pull itself out and offer something unexpected and outside of itself that If It Matters takes a hold of you and rewards the introspection at its core.
Rating: 7/10
If It Matters is set for release on January 10th via self-release.
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