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Bad Suns – Mystic Truth

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Mar 25, 2019.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    When Bad Suns came into the light of the Indie Rock scene in late 2013, I was instantly enamored with their unique style of 70’s and 80’s-era post-punk all packaged in a new and vibrant form. Now on their third full-length album, Mystic Truth does little to change my glowing opinion of this young band that continues to show amazing growth and promise. Filled with shiny guitar-driven rock, this album shows staying power in being in our rotations well throughout the Spring and early-Summer seasons.

    Kicking off the set with the first single, “Away We Go” paints lead singer Christo Bowman in search for love and purpose as he sings, “I need some love and affection/I’ve got no sense of direction or what to do/I hear a song on the radio that breaks through/Yeah, that’s right, I’m talking to you.” The song itself is a great reminder of the pop sensibilities that Bad Suns have come closer to perfecting in the early stages of their career and is a nice opener to a set of songs that gel well together.

    “One Magic Moment” follows the opener with some well-placed keyboards interspersed throughout with a well-crafted hook leading into the chorus. The underrated player on the track is drummer Miles Morris who creates some unique beats and interesting fills to make the song well worthy of multiple listens. The themes of being “on their way” as noted in the lyrics and finding a sense of self are located throughout the album that searches for its place as we navigate through it.

    My personal favorite, “A Miracle, A Mile Away” gets us closer to the headspace of Bowman as he opens with, “Invisible until I want to be/I’m miserable on a beautiful day/Take one look around you/And you just might find/A miracle, a mile away.” I’m sure many of us have felt at one time or another of wondering where our place is in this crazy, question-filled world only to come just short of the full answer. The song features some great falsetto vocals (courtesy of Bowman) and some breezy guitar playing from Ray Libby. Of all the songs that came together on Mystic Truth, this was the one track that made me think, “maybe this band is really on to something great here.”

    Bad Suns continue to search for purpose on the introspective “The World and I,” while they create their version of the Counting Crows’ “Accidentally in Love” with a gem of their own in “Love By Mistake.” They take us on a bit of a detour on their journey for love in the bridge where they croon, “We’ve got mountains to climb/The roads will wind/Celestial bodies in orbit/We’re just out of our minds/We still have time/I say let’s move forward/The forecast says it won’t last.” The metaphors of comparing their physical environment to their outlook on relationships is clever and showcases their improvements in their songwriting craft as a whole.

    Where “Darkness Arrives (And Departs)” is a bouncy, down-tempo track about going through the ups and downs of a troubled relationship. Bowman’s lyrical content continues to rely on the visions of what’s around him, while still attempting to have a positive outlook on the unknown. This story of a relationship that turns sour comes to a crescendo with “Hold Your Fire.” Bowman sings, “New York lights/Red wine nights/Spiral stairs/Climb three flights/Four hard knocks/Switched on lights/She says, “Please, I don’t want to cry tonight.” We’ve all come to a make-or-break moment in many of our relationships that we have needed to take a second to reflect on how it all came to be, and this song does a great job of summarizing exactly what that point in time feels like.

    “Howling at the Sun” is one of the more straight-forward songs on the record, and it’s, unfortunately, one of the more forgettable moments on an LP that contains many redeeming qualities. Luckily, the follow-up song of “Separate Seas” gets the train back on the tracks with a song filled with desperation. If ever there was a boiling point in the story of this relationship, it’s evident here as Bowman pleads his case that his “love’s here to stay.” The moment comes across as a “heart on my sleeve,” endearing moment of innocence.

    The album closer takes an out-of-body journey into the twilight in the epic “Starjumper.” What starts as a tender ballad of drifting away into the abyss, possibly from this relationship in flux, crescendos into a great message of hope and perseverance. Things may not always work out the way we intend them to, but to stay in tune with our surroundings and environment can be a powerful tool in finding our meaning.

    Overall, Mystic Truth turned out to be one of my favorite releases thus far in 2019 since it delivers in its promise of finding a sense of self-worth amongst the chaos. Bad Suns have created a record that surpasses many of my expectations for what the band was capable of making and at the same time invites us on this journey into the unknown. The answers are not always there when we need them to be, yet the mystery of it all leaves us coming back for more.

     
    disambigujason likes this.
  2. AlwaysEvolving21

    Trusted Supporter

    Awesome review. I really like this album. I think Darkness Arrives is my favorite track right now.

    Excited to see them live next week for the first time ever too.
     
  3. fredwordsmith

    Trusted Supporter

    A "return to form" after a slight misfire in Disappear Here. Their debut is flawless, and this album evolves really well from that while carving new ground. Really hope the band can build on this and get some airplay.
     
  4. AlwaysEvolving21

    Trusted Supporter

    Yeah. Disappear Here is an album that didn’t hit me at first, but the last year or so with it has made me appreciate it more and more. There are some awesome songs on that album. I definetly would not consider it sophomore slump. It will sit nicely between their debut and MT
     
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  5. Mr. Serotonin

    I'm still staring down the sun Prestigious

    I want to like this. I'll keep listening but nothing really grabbed me at first. Disappear Here had the title track, Heartbreaker, Violet, and Daft Pretty Boys. Loved all of those. Love the entire debut. The debut still feels the most bombastic and I can listen front to back and love every song.
     
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  6. rbf737

    Regular

    We'll have to agree to disagree. Disappear Here is such a tight and perfect lesson in indie pop rock top to bottom and their high water mark thus far for me. The production is the best they've ever sounded (I think it sounds like they've taken a definite step back in that area on Mystic unfortunately) and every track is solid and rife with glittering hooks. Ha I'm relistening to it now for the first time in a year or so and forgot how good it is, hence my gushing defense.

    I've listened to Mystic a couple times now; it has a lot of great tracks but in listening to it back to back with Disappear, the hooks and songs feel a bit blander overall. I'm not sure what (if any) change was made to the production team but it feels a bit duller. Still a great band and I may try to catch them on this tour if scheduling allows.

    Regardless of how I or anyone feels about this latest record, this band doesn't get enough love. The place was only half full when I saw them live a year and a half ago; hopefully that was more of an isolated occurrence with it being a rainy Sunday.
     
  7. fredwordsmith

    Trusted Supporter

    Lots of people thought they fell off on that record - myself included. It didn't hit me at all the same way the debut did, but I've also heard it's a grower. I'll give you that Violet and Daft Pretty Boys are great, but it missed the mark in its time. I'll have to give it another shot.
     
    jorbjorb likes this.
  8. AlwaysEvolving21

    Trusted Supporter

    Patience is my favorite song off Disappear Here.
     
    jorbjorb likes this.
  9. jeff.dart

    Regular

    I was skeptical after the first couple tracks, but as a whole this is far and away the best thing they’ve done. Great from start to finish.
     
    brentkid likes this.
  10. jeff.dart

    Regular

    It was a grower for me. Didn’t actually start loving it until a year after I got it. I credit tracks three and four for killing the momentum of the album, because everything else is up to par. Swimming in the moonlight is the high point and the last track has a stand out vocal melody.
     
  11. disambigujason

    Trusted Supporter

    Can’t get enough of Darkness Arrives
     
  12. JRGComedy

    Trusted Supporter

    Does anyone know if this album was recorded live? It really feels like it
     
  13. Mr. Serotonin

    I'm still staring down the sun Prestigious

    No wayyy
     
  14. JRGComedy

    Trusted Supporter

    No? I mean overdubs for sure, but this album feels like it was designed for them to play live
     
  15. atlas

    Trusted

    Disappear Here is the best album to come out of the poppy indie rock trend of last 5-ish years and I'll fight y'all on that one if you disagree
     
  16. karcrashianpanache

    hysterical and useless

    I loved their debut and Disappear Here. I'm okay with this album, but Starjumper might be their best song. Maybe it'll grow on me.
     
  17. SEANoftheDEAD

    Trusted

    DH and their debut are both phenomenal.
    I was pretty bummed after my first listen to Mystic Truths but I've spent alot of time with it over the weekend and it's amazing. It seems like a stripped down version of the band, but it works.

    Really amped to see them in a few weeks. They absolutely killed live both times I've seen them.
     
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  18. brentkid

    Regular

    After getting past the initial surprise of the shift in their sound, I can confidently say that I really love this album. I enjoy both of the previous albums but this is the first one that I don't feel the need to skip a track or two on.
     
  19. AlwaysEvolving21

    Trusted Supporter

    I will add that this band is the best thing to come out of the poppy indie rock trend in this decade.
     
  20. brentkid

    Regular

    I can back this. I still remember the first time I heard Cardiac Arrest randomly on Songza months before L&P came out and thinking how excited I was about finding a band with their sound.
     
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  21. SEANoftheDEAD

    Trusted

    I remember discovering Cardiac Arrest before L&P came out while my friends were over. All 4 of us bought the EP immediately.
     
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  22. Mr. Serotonin

    I'm still staring down the sun Prestigious

    That song is one of those that I can never skip.
     
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  23. AlwaysEvolving21

    Trusted Supporter

    The crazy thing about Cardiac Arrest is I think they have so many better songs than that song. That song is very very good too haha.
     
    Mr. Serotonin likes this.
  24. Mr. Serotonin

    I'm still staring down the sun Prestigious

    Rearview is so fuckin' groovy. Learn to Trust is amazing, we move like the ocean, Transpose and Salt are all great. Like I said, I can always just listen to that record front to back and not have to skip anything.
     
  25. SEANoftheDEAD

    Trusted

    Those are all great and you didn't even mention Pretend, Take My Love and Run, and Dancing on Quicksand! haha love L&P
     
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