- American post-hardcore band mewithoutYou have returned with an untitled seventh album. The previous six have been musically and thematically varied, from acoustic folk to hardcore, circus-themed concept albums to dense introspection. They are united by the band’s carefully constructed soundscapes around the mostly spoken poetry of vocalist Aaron Weiss.
By this stage the band have developed a devoted fanbase that expects them to follow their muse rather than stick to familiar ground. A few months ago came an also untitled seven song EP that was their gentles release yet, and featured some electronic touches in a first for the band. For this album it is a return to the heavy and dense post-hardcore of previous album Pale Horses. Thematically it seems similar to Pale Horses too, exploring ideas of faith and doubt; struggles with dark forces internal and external.
A reason for the angst seems to be hinted at in the soothing final track, which opens "Have I established a pattern, perhaps a bi-annual mental collapse?" Pale Horses was full of references to mental breakdown, as well as grappling with the idea of a God. This one is seemingly a continuation, but with more rage and despair, taking up apocalyptic Old Testament themes in lines like “Ploughshares gone swords, we were the scourge of the earth”.
I have to say that those early mewithoutYou records contained many of the same elements, but there was a more outward lyrical focus and a sense of joy, even whimsy. mewithoutYou circa 2018 is a bit more a bitter pill to swallow. Fans won't mind, because the music is still inventive and powerful, and you still get the task of trying to unravel Aaron's cryptic lyrics.
But I wonder if first time listeners would form the same attachment to the band that an album like 2004's Catch For Us The Foxes inspired. For most of their career Aaron's lyrics were dense and obscure but ultimately life-affirming in a way that made delving into their world rewarding. Untitled mostly seems to be despairing, even bleak.
Near the end of the album comes New Wine, New Skins. The title is one of many references to holy texts; and carries with it the hope of a better future from Jesus' original parable. The meaning is ambiguous, but the meaning is certainly a question of seizing the initiative or settling into fatalism. "“God’s will” or “come what fortune gives”/or is this truly how you’d choose to live: managing the narrative?"
It's followed by the harrowing 5 minutes of anguish that is Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore, but final track Break on Through (to the Other Side) [pt. Two] leaves us with some hope, both to take away as a listener and for the sake of Aaron Weiss’ wellbeing: “Can you really make all things new? I have reason to believe you do."
- Andy Paine.