Striking music after 15 years 

With You’re Not Broken. I Am being the first music produced by California rock band The Beautiful Mistake since 2006 (The Beautiful Mistake & Ettison Clio), the band proves that a long break does not hinder their creativity and does not mean a split was inevitable. It’s as if no time had passed and the band picked right back up where they left off. Even though the five-track EP is only 24 minutes long, it is filled with powerful music lyrically.  

Having released “Memento Mori” in January, listeners got a feel of the quality of music that this entire release contains. Crashing riffs and clear, catchy lyrics are just some of the shining moments in this track and the album as a whole. This release certainly gave fans something to get excited about. 

The opener, “Monument,” is the longest track of the EP and starts off with the simple strumming of a guitar. Soon into the track, the drum gets layered with the guitar to create a steady tempo that evolves as lyrics are introduced. The song encompasses a nice harmony and balance between distinct, yelling vocals and clear vocals. Each exudes emotion and makes people pay attention to what each is saying.    

“East of Eden,” the second track, also utilizes the contrast between the two vocal types and continues the flow of the EP established in the first song. “Decades Away” adds another depth with agonized yelling as part of the vocals. An already heavy, emotional album continues to bring different elements that hit people hard. The stretch in which “amen” is being yelled over and over again is powerful. 

The second-longest track and closer, “Anger/Courage,” has moments of spoken word over the sound of consistent yelling which keeps it in tune with the rest of You’re Not Broken. I Am. For the last 40 seconds, the song tapers off and fades with each passing second. The guitar and vocals get softer and softer until silence. 

The Beautiful Mistake created a five-song EP that people will find themselves replaying over and over. Being only 24 minutes makes it go by fast, but people will want to start it from the beginning as soon as the last note fades. With so much creativity and anguish coming through in the lyrics and vocals, the band was able to continue as if only one year passed and not 15.