Review Summary: A gorgeous blend of highs and lows
Hidden within life’s saddest moments are often the most beautiful realizations that one can experience. It was during my most heart-wrenching breakup that I discovered my true identity and stopped trying to live up to the expectations set by everyone around me. After the death of my best friend in college, I began living every day like it could have been
me at the wheel when that truck plowed into her driver’s side door, crushing her in an instant. When the world deals you a devastating blow, you
have to rebound …it’s not a choice, but rather a necessity for survival. That level of tenacity, perseverance, and passion emanates heavily from within
Caught in the Strange – an album ripe with emotion, pain, and the kind of triumph that results from years of fighting and scraping against the bottom before finally emerging from the wreckage as a better person than before.
Lyrically and instrumentally, Racing Glaciers conjure up memories of
Futures-era Jimmy Eat World, dwelling from within a deeply sullen place while always providing just enough of an uplifting backdrop to reveal the silver lining. Vocalist Tim Monaghan always seems to be channeling from within, and his delivery makes every verse sound like a cathartic, life-altering experience. It’s not something that can be learned, and in the world of emotions and feelings, Racing Glaciers has the
it factor coveted by so many bands who try to do more and end up accomplishing much less. Although this group has been present in the indie music scene since 2012,
Caught in the Strange marks their full-length debut, packing years of personal experiences into one of the most acoustically spacious, effervescent atmospheres to be heard this year. There’s a sense of sonic boundlessness, as if the band has climbed aboard the balloons illustrated in the album cover and are merely describing the feelings to us musically as they float off towards the horizon.
Throughout
Caught in the Strange, Racing Glaciers combine that sense of weightlessness and scenic instrumentation with down-to-Earth, deeply human emotions. It makes for a gorgeous blend of highs and lows, a blend all too relatable to the best and worst moments of our lives. This isn’t a record to play often and routinely enjoy; it’s the type of album that beckons you when life feels score-worthy. It’s what plays in the background when you see the love of your life dancing with someone else, or when you’re walking the streets of your town at 2 a.m., gazing at the stars above and wondering where you’ll end up in life. It’s the kind of music that, even if you can’t see yourself listening to it every day, carves out a permanent niche when you need an experience that can relate to your pain but still light the way forward.
Caught in the Strange understands life.
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