Brand New Sound

A major evolution occurring in only three years? Darwin would be amazed. Brand New are no freaks of nature, though their highly anticipated album The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is a fine specimen of a band’s maturing sound.Once known for their instantly catchy four-chord teen heartbreak odes such as “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad,” Brand New have fine-tuned their musical arrangements to suit a deeper, intellectually brooding set of lyrics. Reserving his screams for a dramatic chorus crescendo, “Sowing Season” proves singer Jesse Lacey’s mastery of bringing his own words to life. Just one wail in “Millstone” is enough to chill one’s spine. Listening to the bleak phrases and ghostly guitar matched to an echoing drumbeat can cause listeners to experience immense waves of empathy and hopelessness.

Verging on eight minutes long, “Limousine” eerily tells of a car accident that kills a young girl; Lacey’s multilayered voice is almost menacing in tone throughout. “You Won’t Know” explodes after a muted acoustic introduction, surrounding the listener with dual guitars until it all fades away as fast as it appeared. “The Archer’s Bows are Broken” starts off with assertive percussion and is the sole song to finally stand up to its emotions, demanding to know, “Do you believe in anything?”

Much like a Van Gogh painting, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is beautiful depression at its finest and most volatile stage.