An album release from Emotional Relation delivers a soiree of pop-rock tonalities that blend in an eclectic set of songwriting approaches which bring a ton of different elements to the table from straight pop to emo, pop-punk, alternative rock, electronic pop, and plenty more.
Part of the fun of this record is that you don't really know what to expect next because after you listen to the first little group of songs you get the feeling that you're going to be listening to this pop punk and alt- rock style record. It's done really well from top to bottom but there are these brakes within the record that bring in these other genres. I feel like this was a brilliant move because it's then that you begin to expect the unexpected.
It's outstanding how some of these songs can come through so differently yet the record flows together nearly seamlessly.
The album is called I Will Choose You and it's packed with intensities that rise and fall throughout the record. You have these amazing edgy and sonically driving tracks with riffs that are completely memorable and anthemic style choruses that stick around in your brain for hours after the song has ended.
You also have tracks that are sort of quirky with fun and colorful synth and key work that certainly come through much differently than the heavier and harder edged songs do but somehow still fit the record perfectly.
At times those two elements blend together, and you get synth rock, which is amazing because again, this ends up being more like an experience than just record, especially if you listen to the entire thing from front to back.
This is important because it is certainly the kind of album you listen to as a whole. Listening to one or two tracks from this record may give you a little bit of a gist or an idea of what you may expect, but it will not give you the spectrum of what this album has to offer as a whole.
This is an escape. When you listen to the whole thing, you have to reacclimate yourself back to reality after it's ended.
The fun thing about it is that it's packed with these sort of radio friendly bangers that still have a heavy edge or pop overcoat but also come through super memorable and leave their mark.
The energy on these tracks are unbelievable. Some of them almost feel like they were recorded live on the floor and everyone involved was just feeding off of each other the entire time.
It definitely has that live performance element to it and the drive that helps everything sort of push the envelope.
This was definitely a massive record that does indeed combine color and edginess pretty damn perfectly and a lot of these songs are super catchy with loads of musical and vocal hooks.
This is something else I need to touch on because I really miss musical hooks in rock songs. Guitar hooks for example, this record has both guitar and synth hooks in it and I love that.
I also feel like you're getting a lot of personality and character with this record so you're able to really soak in everything lyrically and come out of it with stories and inner thoughts that have spilled out.
Some tracks even feel like they were sort of cathartic for the songwriter to write and release but for the listener they can be easily relatable.
There are tracks that are very descriptive and some that are slightly more metaphoric in a way, but they all connect and make their connection to the listener.
At least they did with me.
This was an absolute soiree of great tracks that surprised me a lot, came through the vivacious and vibrant approach, it was lively, honest, and the vocals were performed with such a smooth but powerful approach that everything came through incredibly passionate to me.
Although the record was eclectic and super fun, I feel like it was indeed the vocals that really wrapped themselves around the record and created this sort of staple element that made every song connect and made the entire album confluent and consistent.
This was a killer record from a band that has a real love for their craft. When I say that I don't just mean playing their instruments or singing. I mean writing songs together that are memorable, impactful, and may make a difference.
An awesome record from an awesome band, I definitely would urge you to take a listen to I Will Choose You today and again, listen to this full album so you can really soak in all the layers and everything it has to offer.
Remember where you heard it first.
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