It Won/t Be Like This All The Time
Rock Action
2019
Rating: 8 sticky green tabs out of 10
I’ve legitimately been meaning to or actively trying to write about this newest Twilight Sad album “It Won/t Be Like This All The Time” for two months now, and I’ve gotten nowhere. What’s worse, I have no idea why – it’s a very good record but it’s not like it’s some transcendent piece of art that defies words. It’s probably my favorite release by the Scottish band since their debut full-length “Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters,” and may well be one of my favorites at the end of 2019, but ultimately it’s only slightly better than the bulk of their consistently great catalogue. There is decidedly more keyboards/electronics here than you typically get on one of their releases – it often verges into “Disintegration” era Cure* territory, with the most obvious difference being singer James Graham’s insanely thick Scottish accent (which has never stopped being one of the most delightful aspects of this band, FYI). I think of the Twilight Sad as being a fairly morose/downer band, but there is a tinge of brightness to the songs of “It Won/t Be Like This All The Time” that almost push it into the vibe of a spring/summer record instead of something that sounds like the soundtrack to being hunkered down under blankets in a blizzard.
*I read after writing the bulk of this review that the Cure’s Robert Smith actually had a hand in helping the Twilight Sad make this record, so duh. Also, I listen to a shitload of the Cure so there is no wonder I made this connection, even if subconsciously. More bands should probably get Robert Smith into the studio, because the world would be a better place if more bands sounded like the Cure.
