The Album:

After celebrating a huge memento for the band in 2019, when the band talked about new tunes in 2020, hype started to form. Let’s dive in and talk about the new sound that Silverstein is bringing to the post-hardcore scene. From the jump, it is evident that the band is riding the same wave that they initiated with their 2017 release. Both of these records drove with a more lax sound in terms of their aggressive and metal front, but don’t worry: the band does provide a few instrumental breakdowns on the release. The instrumental music on the album complements the lyrics that are partnered with it. Listening to the record, it is apparent that the lyrics are the shining part; however, the band does provide over-the-top instrumental moments and prominent grooves, which helps to keep this record from being redundant. In general, the most impressive part about this record is the amount of outside genre influences that are utilized throughout. The true Silverstein sound is present, but the band also includes moments of alternative, jazz, pop, and pop punk musical genres. This mega crossover creates an album that falls on a large spectrum, which may assist it in being more liked across the masses. Overall, I am giving this album a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I am giving this record such a score, for the music that falls on the inside, instrumentally speaking is rather strong, and its connection to outside genres makes it quite innovative and intriguing. The lyrics fall on a more generic side at times, but their partnership with the instrumentals help to elevate the record.

 

Top Tracks:

“All on Me”, “Bad Habits”, and “Madness”

Although this record presents itself to be strong throughout the whole make, there are a few tracks that stick out among the pack, and these are those tracks. When listening to the record, it is prevalent that the band is starting to stretch their sound to evolve with their personal interests and with the ever-growing music industry. The top selections of this record happen to be the songs, where the band takes the biggest risks. Each of these listed tracks take the listeners through different musical experiences while still being oddly close to the Silverstein brand. For this record, to get the full effect one has to listen to the whole thing to experience the different diversities that Silverstein is bringing to the hardcore scene, but if anything: check out these tracks.

 

The Artwork:

 When looking at the artwork at first glance, it can be said that the band is bringing a more modern flair with the graphic nature of the cover. They are retaining the aesthetic they shifted to with their previous music release in 2017. The artwork consists of a purple color scheme with the driving image being crystals in a spiraling square-type motion. The connection of the album cover to the music on the inside is quite ironic. The color purple commonly symbolizes magic, royalty, extravaganza- things of that nature. The lyrical topics of this album talk about hardships one encounters in life: both physical, but mainly mental. Tying this to the title of the album “A Beautiful Place to Drown”, the band creates this atmosphere that assists in making it pleasant to listen to hard-hitting topics. This connection makes it ironic to the color scheme, for the topic isn’t glamorous or grandeur, but the way that the band crafts their record makes listeners feel as if it is all okay to have those feelings. Moving to relate this to the idea being affiliated with the color purple provides the audience with the experience of life- it’s all about the mindset. Things may not be regal, but you make the best of it. Although the specific image isn’t powerful, when connecting the artwork to the music that falls on the inside, the two work beautifully together.

*”A Beautiful Place to Drown” was released on March 6^th, 2020 through UNFD.