I've got a top 4 that's pretty set: Mexican Guitars I don't wanna be an asshole anymore Lookers Your Wild Years There are roughly 5 songs that could take that final spot: Gates, Rodent, In Remission, Tellin' Lies, and After the Party.
Two friends of mine from HS are getting married next saturday and I'm bound to see a lot of folks I haven't seen in a hot minute and you best believe High School Friend is gonna be on repeat
Strain Your Memory could end up breaking into my top 5 if only because it’s sort of like a sequel to Your Wild Years in a lot of ways. Plus it’s just catchy
Farewell Youth also feels like a sequel to your wild years. love this album but damn does it make me sad lmao
Not gonna lie, I really wanted to include No Penance. That song fucks! Haven't listened to the new album enough times to factor that in yet.
Little moments from the album I love America: I love the tripalet on the snare on the opening of the song. Like that with Tellin Lies they opened with this riff and with this track they opted for just straight up power chords. Also l think this is my favorite chorus. High School Friend: The clap track on the bridge, followed by just Greg singing "I WAS GETTING FUCKED UP WITH A HS FRIEND". I also love the ooooh's with the riff on the guitar. Last to Know: God Tom comes in so confidently with Jesus Christ be DAMNED. Also the part where it's just him and the Organ gives me goosebumps. I like the RW vibe this song has. Strangers Forever: Love the bass and drum part being singled out in the second verse. Bass sounds so chunky. ICSD: God I'm a sucker for an arpeggio into a chord.
I've listened to this a lot this week, and while I really like it, it's pretty easily my least favorite Menzingers album. I don't really disagree with that Pitchfork review, on the whole. I really agree with this sentiment: After the Party occasionally gave the impression that the Menzingers recognized this form of nostalgia as an artistic dead end, posing “Where we gonna go now that our 20s are over?” as an existential crisis. Instead, Hello Exile reframes it as a question with a single, obvious answer: They’re gonna go right back to making Menzingers songs about getting older. Still like a top 10 album for me this year, and not quite a disappointment, but I think this should have been the album where the band took a left turn or explored some new ground. Reminds me of No Closer To Heaven when it came out in that regard. A good album, but a little too much of the same old song, not far enough ahead of its own curve.
Strawberry Mansions pan on tom's vocals at the end is my favorite moment on the entire album it's so fucking cool
Ok I take back what I said about the title track. It’s real nice. I think I might have it sequenced somewhere else ?
Giving this record regular spins and thoroughly enjoying it front to back. There isn’t a bad song on here.
The rest of that song is dope though. Same with the chorus to Bad Things. Its like Tom wants to replace Matt Skiba in Alkaline Trio haha