I will always have qualms with it I think, but overall I think it’s very good. very few albums have ever resonated with me as strongly emotionally as HLNPIT, so that’s always been The One to me
I think they are both perfect records but one is sad and the other is happy. Personally I prefer Goodness
For a long time, I thought Goodness was pretty average but after a few years I found myself coming to it again and again, more than almost any other album. Something about the vibe hits my heart just right. Now it’s one of my very favorites. I really love HLNPIT too but probably not as much as Goodness. I had liked the album before, but it really hit me when quarantine had just started. My job at an outpatient mental health clinic cut my hours in half but let me take extra shifts at their inpatient center for teens in the next town over. The commute was exactly long enough to listen to HLNPIT and the desperation in that album really mirrored the desperation I felt from the patients while working at the facility. The “might have learned how to swim, never taught how to drown” line was especially poignant as I was trying to teach the kids how to drown in a way
I love each album probably the same but for different reasons for where I was at in life when they came out.
I think Goodness is a more unique and interesting record but Home is way too emotionally resonant with me to not be my favourite. I hope they make more music some day.
Seeing them play 8 Seconds in Gainesville at FEST and having the whole crowd sing SO FUCKING LOUD to every song (except "Sun" because it wasn't out yet) is hands down one of my favorite memories. I think of it daily. I even told my lady today that if god is real, that was the only time I felt close to god. Never have I had that feeling from any band while seeing them live. The whole room screaming that first "FUCK!" and then losing our minds and emotions.
I don’t think INGO is all that good personally, find it amateurish in almost every respect except maybe lyrically (which is generally not the focal point w me for music, tho this band’s lyrics have always managed to stand out to me). then again, it’s been about 5 years since I have given it a shot probably so maybe I’ll give it another sometime soon.
The growth between INGO to HLNPIT is absolutely amazing. INGO was my introduction to them. Weathered will always be a jam.
It Never Goes Out is a really great album with a couple of their best songs. I don't think it's on the same level as the other two though.
it never goes out is really good. i can understand not liking it as much tho. we are all alone isnt great
giving INGO a listen now. first song is fun, which I am p sure I have always felt as much, but it’s pretty far removed from what I’m interested in musically at this point. very much a tried and true pop-punk jam. lyrics seem to be decent, not honing in on em too much, tho they’re maybe a bit wordier than I care for. always liked Vacancy and that hasn’t changed. Lonely Hearts opens super strong, great lead guitar, but I really do not care for the other vocalist at all. feels way too stereotypical pop-punk for me. that said, the song is good if I ignore that. when Christian comes in it elevates things for me tenfold. not much to say about Nite Ratz. song has always been my favorite from the record and the only one I revisit with any frequency. strong melodies, strong lyrics, just all around well done. Weathered… okay somehow this one never stood out to me before, but this is also very good. I’m Gone, we’re back to standard pop-punk fare here imo it’s fine but nothing special. again, not into this other vocalist (Chris, right?). the bridge starting around 1:50 in this is a really cool switch. kinda hate the rhythm guitar tone here. Holiday is too brief for me to have terribly much to say about it. it’s kinda fun and has good melodies even if, again, I feel like this sound is pretty far in the rear view for me. the intro to Still-Water Spectacle is sick, one of my fav moments on the whole record. love when the drums break into the faster beat for the verse but wish the performance was tighter. the break @ 1:00 straight up reminded me of DGD, which is a totally unexpected and fantastic thing to me. AND THE SCREAMING. this fucking rules. can’t believe this one never stood out to me. Title Track is also quite good, strong closer. the clean guitar tones here are probably the best they sound on the whole album. want to listen again with lyrics in tow. so overall, this was probably the best listen I’ve had of the record and I def think I’ve been tougher on it than it deserves. that said, I don’t think it comes anywhere near the strength of what follows it. I will say there’s something going on with the production and mixing that I really dislike. particularly the drums and bass (getting the feeling the drums are either heavily sampled or were played on an electronic kit). it also feels p clear this was performed by people who weren’t yet as consummate at their instruments or at locking in with their band mates. there are some moments where there’s just a bit more push and pull in the timing than I would like (mostly the drums). none of their records have anywhere near perfect production/mixing imo, but this one pretty clearly sounds the worst to me.