ALBUM REVIEW: Suicide And Sunshine – Trophy Eyes
TROPHY EYES are back with their fourth studio album Suicide And Sunshine, an album that, as the title suggests, offers a stark contrast between two sides of life. The Australian punk rock band are not ones to shy away from dark topics and brutal honesty and, in the words of frontman John Floreani the album is about “what we experience and how we navigate it.” It’s hard to pinpoint what the true meaning of life is and to answer questions regarding our existence, but if we go off of what this album represents it would be that hope exists even in the darkest corners of our mind.
Things start off with intro track Sydney which at first has us believing that this will be a calm moment with gentle pop synths that rise in intensity before we’re knocked out of any trance with sudden harsh vocals as the full band come in and turn the track into a heavy rock number – it’s certainly one way to kick off an album. The record then moves into Life In Slow Motion which mirrors the same gentle opening as the previous song. This time though as you prepare for angry vocals, they never come. Instead, we’re greeted by gentle vocals that tell a story of finding hope in the dark moments before the full band once again join in to create a pop-rock song that is simply beautiful. It genuinely lifts your heart; it empowers you and leaves you feeling hopeful.
And that’s the thing with this album, on the one hand the band are exploring dark topics that would make anyone want to simply give up, yet on the other the record offers stories and advice that make you feel glad to be alive. As mentioned, TROPHY EYES are known for brutal honesty and we experience a lot of Floreani’s true thoughts and stories that at points can be shocking and upsetting, such as in OMW which reiterates the point that depression and mental illness don’t just simply go away even when things are going well, and Sean, a heart-breaking track that pays homage to a friend who took their life, with all the real feelings and emotions Floreani went through when processing the news. It doesn’t sugar-coat anything, and we hear some harsh words that are shocking, but understandable.
A moment that will forever stand out on the record is Blue Eyed Boy. An alternative rock track infused with pop synths, it tells the story of a friend dealing with addiction and Floreani begging them to get help and stop, as the fallout is affecting both of them. It’s beautifully written and leaves you feeling emotional and likely with a lump in your throat.
Words can barely do justice to explain how incredibly powerful this album is – it really is better if you just listen to it. What we can say though is that Suicide And Sunshine beautifully captures life, whether you view it as finding darkness in the light or finding light in the darkness.
Rating: 10/10
Suicide And Sunshine is out now via Hopeless Records.
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