{"id":97193,"date":"2024-10-04T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T08:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=97193"},"modified":"2024-10-04T00:17:33","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T23:17:33","slug":"review-balance-and-composure-with-you-in-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-balance-and-composure-with-you-in-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Balance and Composure – with you in spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BalanceReturning with their first album in eight years,\u00a0Balance and<\/strong> Composure<\/strong>‘s comeback sees them somewhat pick up where they left off. Although 2016’s\u00a0‘Light We Made’<\/em> leaned into experimentation, their fourth album\u00a0‘with you in spirit’<\/em> is more aligned with 2011’s\u00a0‘Separation’<\/em> and 2013’s <\/span>The Things We Think We\u2019re Missing’.\u00a0<\/em>Yet this isn’t a band relying on former glories as\u00a0‘\u2026Spirit’<\/em> captures\u00a0B&C<\/strong> at questionably their most lyrically compelling, if not blunt.<\/p>\n

Frontman and central lyricist Jon Simmons creates a narrative full of self-reflection. It’s complemented by a set of songs that are drenched in absence and emotion. It’s a mood that\u00a0‘restless’<\/em> provides straight away as Simmons ruminates;\u00a0“Nobody knows where I\u2019ve been. Nobody\u2019s seen me since then. Nobody is needing a friend.”<\/em><\/p>\n

As the album settles into itself, tracks such as\u00a0‘ain’t it sweet’<\/em> and\u00a0‘any means’<\/em> pour out with brooding bass lines and ringing guitars as Simmons’ luscious (and thoughtful) melodies wrap themselves around driving and distant emo-rock. The latter is executed with a sense of comforting familiarity, leaning into atmospheric depth that others don’t quite pull off as well.<\/p>\n

Partly thanks to Will Yip’s layered production,\u00a0B&C<\/strong> are able to create captivating atmospheres. Whether that’s on the\u00a0evocative ‘cross to bear’<\/em>,\u00a0‘lead foot’<\/em>s emotional rawness, or\u00a0the pensiveness pairing of ‘sorrow machine<\/em>‘<\/em> and ‘a little to myself’<\/em>. Their execution is concise while simultaneously evolving their sound palette. For example, ‘cross to bear’<\/em> broods along with Matt Warner’s bass lines as Erik Petersen and Andy Slaymaker’s guitars melt on top.<\/p>\n

‘closer to god’\u00a0<\/em> serves as a late highlight for a variety of reasons. For starters, it pinpoints Simmons’ contemplative narrative wrestling his faith in a finely poetic manner.\u00a0“I\u2019ll never know how it feels. You\u2019ve got a reason for everything”<\/em> he sings amongst an alluring and impactful chord progression. While his insecurities are driven home on the title track.<\/p>\n

Despite their absence, there continues to be a magnetic quality to Balance and<\/strong> Composure<\/strong>‘s sound. Even though it more often than not wallows in a morose tone, it elevates the raw emotional tug that Simmons and company can implement.\u00a0‘with you in spirit’\u00a0<\/em>proves to be a lyrically stirring and musically rich and layered return.<\/p>\n

‘with you in spirit’\u00a0<\/em>by\u00a0Balance and Composure<\/strong> is out now on Memory Music<\/strong>.<\/p>\n