A living room is typically thought to be a place of comfort. Brooklyn four-piece Living Room produces the exact opposite with their melodic brand of emo. Having previously released an EP, ‘Moonchaser’ is their debut full-length effort. They have been compared to an “impressionist painting”, which is certainly not an unfair comment. Impressively, ‘Moonchaser’ contains dream-like elements, raw emotion, textures and abstract interpretations. Living Room has released a debut album that shows they could grow very quickly within the emo, indie rock genre.
The opening of ‘Moonchaser’, ‘American Levitation’, is surprisingly anticlimactic. Its slow, reverberated guitar and hushed vocals provide a short introduction to the tangible emotion of singer Scott Fitzpatrick. ‘Moonchaser’ is a perfect follow up album moving from a state of pain and exhaustion to a phase of reflection and looking inward. It is clearly the product of this second stage; a listener can sense that there is now more clarity in his life, yet parts still demand questioning. However, the increasing feedback leaves a listener in doubt that this is merely a simple introduction.
We begin to gather an accurate impression of Living Room’s intentions with second track ‘Casual Science’. It opens with little warning, driven by the drumming of Fred Trumpy and the bass of Kevin Dobbins. The guitar slices its way through the mix with its melodic element. The vocals of Fitzpatrick are long and melancholic, contrasting sharply against this melodic background. It complements his positive emotional direction, yet there are still regressive elements, ensuring that ‘Moonchaser’ is a captivating album, full of contradictions and experiments. The chorus is then brought down, harking back to elements of emo, blended with the faster pop punk beats.
Later tracks like ‘About Time’ show the diversity in the band’s writing style. Its slow beat is accompanied by a lone guitar and vocals before thick distortion, becoming too much to bear, and full band breaking out. The song then trudges its way through melodic overtones, emerging in a chorus. The varying drum beats control the direction of the song and its various tempo changes subtly highlighting technical brilliance within the grungy beat. ‘About Time’ builds gradually, becoming increasingly faster in its tempos and cleaner in its harmonies. Similarly, Living Room is a band that is clearly progressing in their skill and expertise.
Living Room has released a strong full-length sophomore effort following up a quiet debut EP. With its brand of niche melodic emo, ‘Moonchaser’ is sure to excite those who have a unique taste, as well as those who enjoy emo more generally. Its appeal is certainly testament to the talent of this up-and-coming band.
4/5
‘Moonchaser’ by Living Room is out now on Jetsam-Flotsam.
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Words by George Isaacs (@TryGeorgeIsaacs)
