For all the times it’s been said that the best music comes from loss, it never stops being true. Just look at ‘Young At The Bend’, the new album from Massachusetts trio Born Without Bones, an album born from the re-evaluation of frontman Scott Ayotte’s life following the passing of his grandmother.
Granted, its influence is only really prominent in the subtext. On the surface, this pans out like any number of modern emo albums, with perennially gritty, indie-leaning guitars and a feeling of distance that sneaks its way into any free space. But even then, Born Without Bones’ attempts feel a bit more real, with Ayotte’s slight breaks into screams on tracks like ‘Fool’ and ‘Shy Away’ highlighting the tense edges.
Young At The Bend by Born Without Bones
Dig deeper though, and the grief that permeates this album becomes all the more noticeable. The hectic anger of ‘I Am A Ruin’ hits that spot well, but then there’s ‘Young’, the purge anchored in a heavy bass rumble that sees the band fly off the hinges just that small bit in a fit of half panic, half catharsis.
It’s the most human moment in an album that’s full of them, and it’s all the better for it. ‘Young At The Bend’ might not be anything novel, but Born Without Bones’ believability, as well as the near mastery of their craft, makes it that much more of a potent, longstanding listen.
4/5
‘Young At The Bend’ by Born Without Bones is released on 12th May on Devil You Know Records.
Born Without Bones links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Luke Nuttall (@nuttall_luke)
