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The Injured List – The Difference Between Giving Up & Losing

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Jun 1, 2020.

  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.

    There aren’t many bands like The Injured List anymore. The Michigan two-piece’s style of pop rock is nearly totally alien in 2020; a listen through the band’s third LP The Difference Between Giving Up & Losing calls to mind giants of yesteryear like The Audition or Valencia (or even the original incarnation of The Injured List themselves). Perhaps that’s the quality that makes it so replayable.

    The band seems self-aware enough about it, too – as the record opens Nathan Marks declares, “I’ve gotta get back to my roots, to the only thing I was ever good at when I was 17.” But that isn’t to say the record coasts on a feeling of nostalgia; while the band’s sound might call back to older favorites, it’s good enough to stand on its own merits. “Honest,” the first of two songs featuring Ashley Heise on guest vocals, is an obvious standout. A synth-drenched earworm bordering on pop-punk features the record’s most memorable, if repetitive, hook of “If you can’t be honest, don’t speak.” The nearly ten-minute stretch of “Dust to Dust” and “Swim” finds the band at their best, when they take the tempo down a notch. The Injured List has always excelled at ballads, and that remains the case here. “Swim” features Marks’ best vocal performance on the record and another earworm hook. It’s one of the more dynamic songs on the record, and the inclusion of piano in the bridge helps to give the song’s final chorus a weight it might’ve lacked.

    ”Dust to Dust,” in particular, feels like the older brother of a cut off the band’s 2008 debut There’s Always Next Year. It’s the sort of song that fans and critics are talking about when they talk about their favorite pop band maturing. “I’d be lost without you,” Marks croons on the hook, sounding sincere without veering into saccharine. The song’s bridge features a shimmery riff that splits the difference between dream pop and country without ever fully committing to either – it’s one of the more unique moments on the album and a reminder that, while Marks can craft catchy hooks, there’s more to the band than just that.

    Occasionally, he relies too heavily on repetition to make a chorus catchy (“Visit My Grave,” “Home”), which seems to be about par for the course for the genre. It doesn’t hold The Difference Between Giving Up & Losing back from being thoroughly enjoyable, thoroughly replayable, and frankly fairly refreshing in 2020. The Injured List might not be breaking new ground, but what they are doing is creating one of the most fun pop-rock records of the year.

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  2. thewoj

    Hey, remember Absolutepunk?

    Man, I cannot help but feel like that album cover is used for something else, but I cannot place it.
     
  3. mybreakingpoint

    The Greatest Escapegoat

    The picture is of my grandfather (right). He was a state champion boxer in Oklahoma from 1947-50. After he died, I got it from a scrapbook he kept with a couple dozen more boxing photos.

    After we chose it for the album art, I too thought I had seen an album cover with boxing on it. Only one I could think of was NFG’s greatest hits album.
     
    Jason Tate likes this.
  4. mynamesgeneric

    Regular

    Holy shit I forgot all about this band, fellow Michigander here and I definitely have a "The Injured List" folder on an old hard drive somewhere. 60 seconds into About Time and I am into it, could use something like this right now
     
    mybreakingpoint likes this.
  5. paythetab

    Chorus.FM Album Reviewer (Adam Grundy) Supporter

    [​IMG]
    Were you thinking of this one?
     
  6. thewoj

    Hey, remember Absolutepunk?

    It is neither of these, but I appreciate the response, especially from member of the band!

    I'm really enjoying this album, so I'm sure one day while I'm listening to it, it's gonna come back to me. I'll update the thread if I ever think of it lol
     
  7. TSLROCKS

    Trusted Supporter

    I love these guys!
     
    mybreakingpoint likes this.
  8. TorchLake

    Newbie

    I thought Lucky Boys Confusion when I saw the cover, but after further review- not so much

    [​IMG]
     
  9. shea

    RIP Supporter

    Holy shit I knew that name sounded familiar when I saw it earlier TIL is like one of the first AP member bands I remember "discovering" forever ago. I want to say their singer did like a piano cover of Cute without the E or something?? that I was OBSESSED with.
     
    mybreakingpoint likes this.
  10. mybreakingpoint

    The Greatest Escapegoat

    Thank you! Glad you’re enjoying the music. This thread has made me aware of more boxing-related cover art than I knew of haha.
     
  11. mybreakingpoint

    The Greatest Escapegoat

    Dude! It’s been so long! How are you? I would have sent you the record but I lost your e-mail ages ago. Hope you’re doing well.
     
  12. mybreakingpoint

    The Greatest Escapegoat

    Glad our music is reconnecting with some of the old AP crowd and yeah, I did a Cute Without The E cover in my living room years ago, along with several others. Let me see if I can find it.

    Probably this:


    No videos in 10 years. Maybe I need to update this page lol
     
    shea likes this.
  13. shea

    RIP Supporter

    That's it! Haha what a nostalgia trip
     
    mybreakingpoint likes this.
  14. TellYourFriends

    Lexington, KY Prestigious

    Hey Nathan. B-)
     
    mybreakingpoint likes this.
  15. mybreakingpoint

    The Greatest Escapegoat