Review - The Early November - In Currents

The Early November, one of my favorite pop-punkers are back after a six year hiatus with their third official full length (although I kind of want to call it their fifth album, as their last album was a triple album). Right from the get-go they make it apparent that the time off was not wasted. ‘In Currents’ is easily their most developed album yet. The five current members have grown not only as musicians, but as songwriters, as people.

Opening track “A Stain On The Carpet” is at first unrecognizable when you think back to some of their original recordings (if you know them well, think “For All Of This”). The group that was born and raised with acoustic guitars and some of the most emo lyrics I could find as a fourteen year old have evolved. They haven’t lost any of what made them great – not even for a moment. Instead, it seems that the years spent in the music business (especially for frontman Ace Enders) have taught them a thing or two.

‘In Currents’ is varied in style, tone, and sound, but is always perfectly The Early November. I love a band that can manage to do this – make an album that could have been recorded by several different bands (experimenting a bit here and there), while the whole time managing to keep to what brought their fans in, whatever that special something may be. A lot of ‘In Currents’ still brings me back to the emotional turmoil of my teen years, and I love this album for that. Enders’ vocals have lost none of their desperation. If anything, now surrounded by a band that is standing on its own (and not simply backing him) and creating pop-punk/rock that is not only fitting but is keeping the genre moving, his screams only conjure up those same old feelings even harder.

Excuse me while I lay in bed in the dark and cry. You know, cuz that’s what we emo kids do.

Listen to: “A Stain On The Carpet”, “Frayed In Doubt” (for their hardest moment on the album), “In Currents”, “Digital Age” (for a throwback to their old days), and “Tell Me Why”

Or, if you’re interested, Rise Records (their new label after the legendary Drive Thru disappeared) is letting you listen to the entire thing on Youtube for free. Here is a link to the page. If you click on the first one, I think all the songs will play in succession.