Somebody In New York Loves You! Review
Written by Mia Holtzman
S.C.A.B. invites you into the passenger seat of their car on their third full-length album, Somebody in New York Loves You! We are serenaded by the things lost between the seats, and the landscape sprinting through the windows. Each song feels like a memory and a soundtrack for leaving home.
The first track of the album, 7:47, begins with a sense of longing. A reluctant reflection on what once was or what could have been. Frontman Sean Camargo ends this song with two refrains “I’m into you/It was 7:47”. He continues this trend throughout the album, ending several of the tracks with a dreamy repetition. Although these endings give an almost too-similar sound, they help build the album's identity as a whole. Focusing more on meditation and introspection, rather than experimentation and novelty. Camargo spends the album reflecting on the love within and around himself. While the lyrics can, at times, feel a touch on the nose, they were redeemed by the sincerity with which they were performed.
Somebody in New York Loves You! presents a clear sonic identity for the band. They know exactly who they are, and who they are trying to be. Each member works together to create a cohesive sound without one member becoming the star. Cory Best and Alec Alabado create a dreamy canvas that is made all the better by the unrelenting riffs we see in songs like MK. Evan Eubanks breaks up the fuzziness of the guitars and brings brightness to the album with his percussion throughout. Although S.C.A.B. rejects a single genre label, they lean into the dreaminess of shoegaze and the vocal style often found in midwest emo. Lovers of post-punk will find lots to love in their instrumentation, particularly in their manipulation of guitars to almost mimic a synth. I found this especially striking on the second track Strawberry Jam.
In my opinion, L.A.A.Y.G.S.G.M., MK, and Star are standout tracks on the album. Star and MK are just plain fun. They insist that you dance, and dance ugly. MK begins with a distorted track of a man speaking, and boy, am I a sucker for a spoken interlude. Similarly, 4th of July features a voicemail from a loved one in the middle of the track. The speaker calls to tell us about the comet that they just watched trail through the sky. It refocuses the listener and reminds them that what they are listening to is not background music, but a moment in time we are invited to join.
The final song fades into wind and muttering and then again into a fuzzy western tune. The final seconds of How Long Has it Been? bring a bit of levity to the end of the album after a much slower and heavier song. It feels like the moment where the credits roll and the lights go up, and S.C.A.B. leaves us on our own to confront the world. Sincerity is the name of the game for S.C.A.B.’s latest album. Somebody in New York Loves You! is nostalgic, heartfelt, and absolutely worth a listen.
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