Review Summary: Emarosa decide to trade complexity for diversity in their newest ambition.
Emarosa is a 4-piece band from Lexington, Kentucky consisting of William Sowers, ER White, Jordan Stewart and the newest addition to the band, Bradley Walden. The band is mostly known for their distinct style of melodic post-hardcore music full of pure emotion and powerful vocals. Versus is Emarosa’s 3rd studio album, and first after vocalist, Jonny Craig’s, departure and the bands 3 year hiatus. Many thought that years of silence coupled with the loss of such a defining member meant that the band would be forced indefinitely split. But surely, and suddenly, they’ve returned with new vocalist Bradley Walden in tow, confident that their latest project will put them back on the map and make them bigger than ever.
Determined to work outside of their comfort zone and create something new and separate from what they had before, Emarosa use this record to wipe the slate clean and move on from their loss. With Versus, the band jumps out of their niche and tries to adapt their sound in order to make each of their songs more distinct, which is good as it gives a new, fresh perspective on Emarosa and addresses one of the main complaints of their previous release. But it also hinders them as it makes it so that most of their selling points are reduced to catchy, yet shallow, hooks and softer more melodic tones that grow old after repeated play. They have shown in the past that they are masters of a distinct sound, and now that they’ve skewed away from what many considered their muse, it’s apparent that they aren’t immune to the struggles that come with change.
One of the main staples in Emarosa’s sound, particularly in their self-titled, was their ability to create a massive build up of beautifully melodic mix of soulful vocals and inspired rock instrumentals that only grew until they reached a climax that made the listener euphoric and sent chills down the spines of newcomers. In Versus there isn’t much of that, but they do use a few songs to try to keep that sound they’ve established before. Though unfortunately, songs that hold the band’s key sound often fall into the pit of sounding like a lower tier B-Side of an Emarosa self-titled song. Most evidently in songs like ‘American Deja Vu’. None of the songs reach the high point of build up that songs like ‘A Toast to the Future Kids’ or ‘The Weight of Love Blinds Eyes’ had in the past and they don’t feel as natural as them either. Some songs don’t even sound anything like what was previously established as Emarosa, which is not entirely due to the band’s new vocalist, as most of the instrumentals seem to hold themselves back at what they’ve shown is their capability and decide to try different things. If anything, Bradley’s performance is a breath of fresh air to the band in many instances.
Bradley Walden can sing exceptionally well and has many prominent features on this record that solidify his repertoire of vocal styles, such as his brilliantly performed falsettos in ‘Same Old Tight Rope.’ But he never seems to reach the level of raw emotion that his predecessor had and there are many instances where his vocal performances tend to fall into inconsistency. Some muddy mixing and the constant use of stacking and mixing vocal tracks often make him sound static, less emotive and can make him feel a bit bland compared to the instrumentals. These things created a somewhat sub-par performance, particularly in the song ‘Mad,’ that make the listener feel uneasy and starkly contrasted from the soothing melodies of the song. It’s the one song that’s considerably disappointing on this entire record.
Does that mean Versus is a bad album, though? No not at all. There are many great songs to be found here. One of the best, which is sure to broaden the bands audience, is “I’ll Just Wait” a soft, soaring ballad which is ‘radio rock’ enough to woo over passers by, yet is profound enough for someone to appreciate. The albums closer ‘1996 on Bevard’ is also one that holds a strong presence in the band’s newfound styles as it holds both softer and more aggressive sounds that make a good point of summing up the album as a whole. The albums opener “People Like Me, We Just Don’t Play” (an aptly named Jake the Snake quote) does show some experimentation that offers a good alternative of sound that is at the caliber of what Emarosa is capable of, throwing all of what Emarosa has to offer at the listener: Solid Drumming, refined guitar work, and catchy vocals.
The main question to ask when it comes to Versus ends up being: “Is change a bad thing?” Well in some instances it is, and in many others it is a great thing. But overall, their decision to change shows that Emarosa have both taken steps forward and back. They trade complexity for diversity and ultimately leave something that can be seen as disappointing for some and just fine with others. Regardless, Emarosa have shown, on multiple different fronts now, that they have the potential to make something truly special and hopefully their next release shows that they can perfect both their old and new craft.
