If, like me, you’ve ever thought “Sure, this current strain of melodic hardcore is great, but it’s really missing the meaty punch and adrenaline rush of mid-2000s bands like American Nightmare and Blacklisted”, then this may just be the band for you. Despite a name that sounds like a thousand sweepy-fringed MySpace bands, Massachusetts quartet My Fictions marry the sweeping, coruscating screamo template of bands like Orchid and The Saddest Landscape to something far darker and more malevolent, and the results are just fascinating to behold. But then, what more would one expect from a record bearing the name of Topshelf Records?
‘Mt. Misery’ gets this record off to a flyer with a real statement of intent, their melding of different genre styles coming to fruition as a punchy bridge section is accented by a screeching, sky-scraping riff. This signals the start of a manic first third of the record, as the quartet hare through tracks like ‘Postcards’, which is tinted with more than a little element of fellow Massachusites Converge. The breakneck pace is a constant on ‘Stranger Songs’ with the band packing 10 songs into less than 30 minutes, finding the right balance between filling these songs full of fresh ideas and relentless creativity without this record suffering from an “everything-bar-the-kitchen-sink” effect.
Following short interlude piece ‘Concern’, the second half of the record is heralded by ‘Wake Anxious’, the closing moments of which are quite striking indeed and finally sees an opportunity for the vocal of Bryan Carifio to really come to the fore, something that’s not happened anywhere near enough in proceedings thus far. After ‘Stubborn’ races through the synapses at astonishing speeds, ‘Parking Lot’ affords a little more reflection and introspection with its 4-minute span, a virtual prog-suite in comparison to the rest of the album. It expands well into the extra room afforded by the increased length, which prevents the record from becoming one-dimensional, and gives the listener time to breathe before having their head torn off their shoulders by the visceral, biting penultimate track ‘Contrition’. Carifio’s vocal is again given licence to shine on this number, his pained howls allying themselves well to the relentless, punishing instrumental parts.
Closer ‘Stranger’ is, at long last, an instance of the band slowing things down to show what they’re really made of – playing fast does not necessarily equal good songwriting. Fortunately, My Fictions excel in more measured surroundings – the intensity levels are still kept up with the brooding guitars of Tyler Bradley and Ryan Boone, but the band prove that they don’t have to be pummelling to maintain the astonishing quality level of this accomplished debut. Having formed back in 2010, it’s taken a while for My Fictions to unleash their first album on the world, but the time taken proves to be well worthwhile, as here they have happened upon a fusing style that translates from looking good on paper to sounding fantastic in the ears. Who knows, there may come a day when Topshelf Records release a stinker, but you’ll have to keep looking beyond this cracking album.
4.5/5
‘Stranger Songs’ by My Fictions is out now on Topshelf Records.
My Fictions links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Ollie Connors (@olliexcore)
