ALBUM REVIEW: Swan Song – The Plot In You
Failure. Endings. Demise. Hopelessness. Emptiness. Sadness. Despair. All emotions that we have all felt, and likely will feel. Swan Song is a goodbye. It is a nostalgic exercise in self-applied therapy, a chance for THE PLOT IN YOU to wash the bitter taste out of their mouths and lay their cards bare on the table. As you can imagine then, it’s a melancholy listening experience that spits darkness and reminds us all of the fragility of life, but more importantly it preaches a road to recovery, proof that the darkest periods of our lives are indeed only temporary.
Thematic heaviness aside, it is something of a musical progression for the Ohio quartet; a band never exactly known for their conformity to mediocrity. As they drive away from their demons with tyres screeching and smoking, they have also well and truly continued to leave their metalcore beginnings stranded in their wake. Instead, their new path is one laden with cinematic intent, towering drama and gut wrenching melody. It is a world in which THE PLOT IN YOU thrive, laced with catharsis and artistic integrity.
Starting as he means to go on, vocalist Landon Tewers opens up the album with an honest monologue in Letters To A Dead Friend, dwelling on departed friends and the struggles they faced. Dark content is juxtaposed by swelling synth and electronics, before drums thud into the mix and eventually guitars start to crunch as the track gathers pace and delicate vocals become angst driven screams. “It should have been me in the ground,” is the message delivered as the track closes out in emphatic fashion.
From here, we are led into Fall Again which continues to bite, before dropping into a sing along chorus that sits neatly between driving metalcore-isms and more manic vocals. This heaviness is contrasted neatly against the next track Face Me, which focuses on more electronic hooks, reminiscent of bands like I SEE STARS in the way they mix chugging metal with dancier riffs. It’s unorthodox and unpredictable, and makes for an insightful listen. It’s hard to determine what might come next through an album like this, and THE PLOT IN YOU use this to build intrigue and hold our attention.
Too Far Gone is one of the stand out tracks both in terms of quality and style. It is a pop song by structure. Largely still guitar driven though it might be, it is lyrically strong and Landon‘s vocals take on a heart wrenching edge; impossibly delicate and yet powerful when called upon, jumping from being intrinsically beautiful to emotionally crushing in the blink of an eye. It is through tracks like this where THE PLOT IN YOU really earn their corn. They seem to possess a unique signature and an innate ability to build songs that entertain and make us feel in equal measure.
Their refusal to work within a mould stands them in good stead, combined with their impeccable execution. Tracks like Both To Blame and Too Heavy continue to show their diversity and skill, the latter discussing “holding onto a relationship that’s falling apart for dear life” to a backdrop of fragile electronics and spacious atmosphere. Meanwhile Whole Without Me ups the experimentalism; heavy, mysterious and chaotic. The album is closed by Freed, a blistering track that builds and offers a real ‘finale’ to the record. It concludes with a swathe of synth that lulls back into silence, closing the book on one of THE PLOT IN YOU‘s finest records.
If you haven’t listened to this band since their early days, the chances are you won’t recognise them. This speaks volumes about their ability to adapt and improve, and the way they have found their own niche and thrived. It is an uncomfortable listen at times. There is an unsettling feeling of invasion to it, like reading through an unknowing sibling’s diary even though you know boundaries are being crossed.
With Swan Song, THE PLOT IN YOU have laid their souls bare and offered us access to the most honest and intimate parts of themselves. Perhaps it is simply their way of cleansing themselves, or them taking the opportunity to reassure us as the listener – and themselves – that life gets better when things are bleak. It doesn’t really matter. The record is harrowing and beautiful in equal measure, and one of the most important learning experiences this year will offer.
Rating: 8/10
Swan Song is out now via Fearless Records.
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