An Experimental And Addictive New Release from The New Mourning

An album from The New Mourning brings out a fresh blend of what I would consider to be indie-pop, classic rock, psychedelic rock, and this experimental overtone that lets things feel very well articulated but still a bit loose and slightly trippy.

The Songs of Confusion album certainly doesn't hold back in the way of that wonderful songwriting Freedom. These songs are certainly outside the box at times, but still have that pop coating that makes them catchy and lovable. The whole thing feels cinematic because many of the songs have a vast undertone, giving them outstanding depth and layers.

The guitar work is experimental, and usually there are a few layers dripping with all kinds of crazy effects from echo to reverb to a chorus effect, letting the guitars feel like they're swimming through the tracks themselves.

The other side of the experimentation is with the actual arranging and songwriting itself. The very first track, 'Steal My Smile", serves as a damn near perfect example.

You automatically get this sort of Southern undertone coming through, along with an indie rock and classic rock approach, so all that warmth is really beautifully done, and that comes from the guitar tones for the most part. This also comes from the way the drums were recorded, which is outstanding throughout the entire release, by the way.

The whole record walks this beautiful line between something extremely well produced and a little hint of lo-fi. So it's got this very particular aesthetic to it that sticks and is consistent throughout the full album.

Anyway, that introductory track is amazing because it has a change in rhythm all of a sudden. Once you get used to the flow of the song all of a sudden, they change it up and it gets wider and slower, which sort of draws you in.

You sort of get transfixed at the fact that they changed the rhythm of that massively, and it works so strangely well with the entire flow of the song, so you kind of get engulfed by this unique atmosphere it puts out.

This is the way a lot of the songs work on the record, though. Some songs literally have their own aesthetic going on, but you really love that. You end up getting attached to that, and then halfway through the record, you start to expect it.

Because they're giving you such a pleasant surprise with the very first track, you want more of it.

You want more inventive and experimental songwriting that sort of surprises you a bit. It's very refreshing.

The guitar work throughout this entire record is outstanding.  There are jazzy undertones, cinematic backbone, vocals that sort of flow, and are almost used like instruments themselves at times. Songs like "Ease The Pain" showcase this, but also let you understand that some of these tracks are coming from very genuine places.

There is emotion behind some of these songs, and a lot of that looks just beneath the surface of them, but is very evident when they want to come through.

This track does show some of that sort of jazzy and experimental guitar work, which is beautifully done. The track also bursts into a heavier feel that beckons a sort of garage rock approach blended with a little bit of grunge, and I love this because you get those elements throughout the record, too.

There's never too much of anything.

This is absolutely a genre-bending record in a sense, but you don't get too much jazz or too much crunch or too much Indie pop; it all Blends together and creates one fat soundscape.

"Meaningful Song" is one of my absolute favorites on the record because it makes me think of bands from the early 90s underground rock music scene.

It's got this theatrical sense to it. It flows but has a freeing feeling. Also personal and strangely engulfing, the song, but that's what the entire record does. Once again.

The full album is loaded with ebbs and flows. The intensity comes in waves, climactic, explosive sections of song, or with an emotional backbone.

Either way, as I mentioned before, you begin to expect the unexpected by the time you're about halfway through this thing.

And you are certainly pleasantly surprised.

The way that they're able to bring such a slew of influences together to create an atmosphere all their own is absolutely outstanding, and this is 100% a record that you listen to all the way through.

I can tell you honestly that listening to one or two tracks will give you an idea, but will not give you the full spectrum of what the whole album has to offer.

That is a much grander thing, and listening to it with headphones on is even better because then you can soak in all of these flowing sort of layers of texture that it boasts.

That's part of the fun and the importance as well.

You can tell there was a lot of attention to detail in the creation of this record when it comes to the tones of the instruments, especially, but also the mix.

This mix is very wet and sensationally thought out.

It feels good to get swallowed up by this record. It's an escape because it pulls you away from wherever you are and whatever you're doing, and it puts you in their world for a chunk of time. That's what we need in music right now; escapes like this.

I'm done now. Go listen to this album so you can see exactly what I'm talking about, and please don't forget where you heard it first.

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