New York’s Augustines have recently released This Is Your Life, which starts out strong with a guitar-driven, synth-light track titled “Are We Alive?” “Love is like an arrow straight to your heart,” sings vocalist Billy McCarthy in this ode to love — and making love — that is reminiscent of The Gaslight Anthem’s The ’59 Sound.
After the fantastic classic indie rock start to the album, I was fully expecting to hear more songs straight out of The Gaslight Anthem’s repertoire. Though I was slightly disappointed that this wasn’t the case, I was impressed nevertheless. “When Things Fall Apart” and “The Forgotten Way” follow “Are We Alive?” with a more electronics based sound, focusing less on the driving guitars and more on what was an underlying focus in the album’s opener.
Augustines Experiment with Classic Indie Rock
Augustines never really forgo the vibe you get from listening to The Gaslight Anthem, but it’s much harder to pinpoint what genre these songs are and to give a comparison. There is a mix of the youthful energy of indie rock and punk, with the heartache and light pop sound of bands like Coldplay and OneRepublic (notably in “Running in Place (feat. Pape and Cheikh)” which starts out as a piano ballad and gains momentum and emotion and instrumentation as it goes on.
“I ain’t gonna be your kickstand man anymore” croons McCarthy in “Hold Me Loneliness,” a song that hits hard emotionally and shows the pain, perhaps, of being alone. It is one of the most emotional songs on the album, and is a song that really gets me thinking about early Coldplay (A Rush of Blood to the Head), while still not losing the edge and individuality the album has shown thus far.
“No Need to Explain” sounds a lot more like the album opener and is my favorite song on the album. I really love the guitar-driven melody with the synth undertones and the focus on the vocals and lyrics over everything else.
The album ends with “Days Roll By,” another synth-driven track with a fantastic percussion backing. It’s an emotional and strong way to the end the album, leaving the listener waiting for more.
This Is Your Life is a fantastic mix of genres and instrumentation that, though it could easily be a tangled mess, falls together nicely and can appeal to a wide variety of music lovers, from punk rockers to pop enthusiasts. Augustines have really put together a solid effort and a lovely blend that overcomes genre stereotypes and makes a name for itself.
