Album Review: Balance And Composure - 'with you in spirit'
A wonderful return to form for the post-hardcore heroes.
Balance and Composure are one of those bands that just seemed to not only ‘get’ what the post-hardcore and emo scene was all about, but somehow absorb and embody it. Their debut album ‘Separation’, and its sophomore follow-up ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’ aren’t only classics of the scene, but essential listens; the band’s perfect concoction of raw emotion, heavy guitar riffs, and haunting melodies have only grown more impactful after over a decade of pervading the airwaves. Their third album, ‘Light We Made’, might not have been quite as impactful, but it wasn’t like it was bad per say — just different, and not quite as well received. The band had also allegedly lost a lot of that which made their professional lives worth living, essentially boiling down to it just not being all that fun for them anymore. The band broke up, and fans of the Pennsylvania favourites thought that that was that, and the band had gone out on… well, not a whimper, but definitely not a bang.
And then last year saw two singles appear out of nowhere, and suddenly the hope was alive once more.
Fast forward to this year, and the band have released their fourth album ‘with you in spirit’, a ten track album that’s served as both a return to form for the emo forefathers, and also seemingly a reinvigorated reincarnation. A lot has changed since the band’s early days; even just how releases work nowadays, with over half of the album’s runtime already having been released as singles, although there are certainly still some gems hidden in the other five tracks. And yet, it is still those singles that stand out throughout the album. From the artfully treacherous ‘cross to bear’, Jon Simmons’ gentle voice worming its way into every nook and cranny left exposed by Matt Warner’s foreboding, ominous bass line, or the brooding vocals and enraged, barely legible shouts of ‘sorrow machine’, to the delicate, almost despondent droning of album closer ‘with you in spirit’, they help to set the scene for the entire album. And, although the electronic-tinged slow burner of ‘ain’t it sweet’, the mesmerisingly haunting ‘lead food’ and the palpably tense, anxiety-heightening ‘closer to god’ still comfortably make themselves known, there isn’t always enough variance to carve themselves individual niches.
Despite this, though, the album is still a vast, expansive and immersive oasis of post-hardcore goodness that sucks listeners into its implosion of self-deprecating snarls and emotional, introspective lyricism. It’s intensely atmospheric, leaving you left adrift in its miasma of melancholic goodness, writhing in the encompassing shadow cast by its towering soundscapes, yet moments of tranquil, heart-breaking calm interspersed in the thick instrumentalism and existential dread keep you constantly on your toes.
A fantastic album, even if not all the parts that make it up are necessarily equal.
Words by James O’Sullivan
