Always Foreign

The third studio long-player from the Connecticut-based indie/emo rock troupe, Always Foreign finds the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die nixing the mostly positive vibes of their two prior outings in favor of a deep dive into miseries both internal and external. Raw and occasionally apoplectic, but no less big-hearted than 2015's sleeve-bearing Harmlessness, Always Foreign wants to believe in the promise of utopia, but the caustic confluence of the 2016 election and the acrimonious departure of a former bandmate seem to have eaten through the band's thick skin. It's the latter ordeal that casts the biggest shadow, with multiple tracks dealing with the situation with alarming specificity; "Hilltopper" ("Can't seem to erase you/I threw out all the records you're on/I hope evil can see this, and you get what you deserve"), while reliably anthemic and melodic, is particularly savage. Thankfully, the band channels much of that ire into making compelling -- and often beautiful and vital-sounding -- music, which runs the gamut from galloping punk-pop ("The Future") to emo-kissed post-rock ("I'll Make Everything"). Distilling discomfort into something more palatable is never easy, but with a name like the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, the band probably knew that going in. ~ James Christopher Monger