ALBUM REVIEW: Through The Cracks – Apart
Through The Cracks by APART is a debut album like no other. Emotionally-charged from the first to the final moments, the French indie-rock band leave no stone unturned throughout the nine songs on the album. The trio is comprised of singer/guitarist Vianney Dupont, guitarist Alexis Joly and drummer/backing vocalist Maxime Peres, and they focus on lyrics that touch on emotions and human connection.
Opener Honest To Myself is a slow-paced indie-rock song that captures the vibe of the album perfectly. Whilst it does sometimes build towards a crescendo, it never teeters over into loud and heavy rock, but it is also never boring as the instruments keep things interesting, whether it is offering a fantastic backing track to the soft and confessional vocals or branching out on their own during a solo near the end of the song. Unsaid is a little more upbeat in the tempo and yet this doesn’t take away from the vulnerability. Instead, it feels even more confessional, especially during the bridge where the instruments slow down a bit.
Whilst it might sound one-note on paper, it works really well in practice. This is thanks to the brilliant production, which always makes sure that each song has an individual personality, whether it is the gentle indie-rock of Old Tapes, the slow-paced acoustics of Recollection, or the uptempo soft-rock of Isabella Bird’s Last Journey. They all admittedly are within similar sounding genres, but they are very different sonically. By sticking within the broad genre of indie-rock, the band are able to create a cohesive sounding album that flows really well, while the lyrics discuss topics that aren’t covered much, such as estrangements – a central theme of the album – as well as the importance of friendships.
Closer Frayed might only be just over two minutes long, but its frantic pacing exemplifies its rawness. The lyrics sound like a confession and the song doesn’t relent its energy until the final 15 seconds. It’s almost as if the narrator has taken a sigh of relief after pouring their heart out, and it makes for a fantastic closing track for such a raw record.
Overall, APART have created a raw, emotional, delicate and superb debut album. The attention to detail on each of the songs means that it flows really well, and – even though it is only half an hour long – none of the songs are too long or too short. The production of the album really helps it come to life, as the indie-rock trio get to have their cake and eat it. By choosing a broad genre, they are allowed to explore lots within that, whilst also creating a cohesive sounding album, which is a very hard thing to do on a debut. This is just the beginning for APART.
Rating: 9/10
Through The Cracks is out now via Flake Records, Clever Eagle Records, Disque Ardent and Emergence Records.
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