As an opener, the album has forty seconds of grungy, distorted crunchy guitar from “Middle America’s” intro which can translate to “hey folks, after a half-decade of hiatus, our sound hasn’t changed!”. Which I think a safe move given the general feedback they received for this comeback.
There are a lot of repetitive lyrics on this album which really suits its impressive bass, lo-fi guitars, and Nate Grace’s narcotic voice. This is the combination you didn’t know you needed.
Lyrics in the album are few but speak volumes. Like on their fifth track, “Making History” which says:
“I’ve been lied to and I’ve been deceived
So many times, I don’t know what to believe
I can’t afford the future
I don’t know my past”
Because it is too general, listeners can associate it with various aspects of their lives specially that this song was released at the time of pandemic. Listeners got time to burn for reflection.
“Fantasy” marks the halfway point of this album. It gives its listeners a little faster (but still melancholic vibe) tempo which serves as a good build up for the upcoming tracks.
On their eighth track, “How Good Does It Get” and tenth track “Grieving Away”. Emotions got heavier because of their repetitive lyrics which made its listeners soaked with what they are offering with the said songs. Sad guitar picking patterns and Nate’s soothing voice are amplified in these tracks.
I agree with them in making “I Can Dream” as their last track. After all the downcast words and slow strums we heard, it’s good to have a realistic neutral conclusion of what we can still do after all the privation we’ve faced.
“It’s strange to see how they always change
Oh, I can dream”
Change is constant, a bad situation can be a blissful one in a heartbeat. No one and nothing stay the same apart from the fact that dreaming is free and all of us have access to doing it.
Few words, more sound. I think this has been Pure X’s brand since then. Unwritten words of each track in this album are compensated by their sad, wall-of-sound escapism musical arrangements.
Their druggy and somnolent vibe plus impressive bass, and melancholy guitar riffs are the ones that captured their loyal listeners. They did the very same thing they are known for after a long hiatus. And like what I have said in the earlier part of this review, it seems like they have received good feedback because of sticking on their roots. For sure, their listeners look forward to hearing more from them. Not only because of their signature sound but also with the new flavors they might offer in the near future. Maybe by doing this they can attract more listeners or maybe not… we will never know. But one thing is for sure if ever they will try to experiment on their sound, and that is they will definitely learn more about their music, their audience and other capabilities.