ALBUM REVIEW: So Long, Space Girl - Your Heroes Are All Dead
Packed full of angst, disillusion, frustration and killer choruses Oxford's So Long, Space Girl serve up an epic slice of hard hitting, addictively infectious Pop Punk on their sophomore album "Your Heroes Are All Dead".
It's one of those albums where from the moment it kicks in you know it's going to be good blasting off with the title track which boast catchy hooks and up-tempo surfy sounds as the lyrics pour with the feelings of despair at the world and feelings of being lost in your own life; "what have we become”, "I've achieved a lot and nothing'. It's a fantastic opener and neatly sets the scene for what's to come with flawlessly delivered vocals and danceable energy.
'Spineless' takes on a more classic rock stance with pensive, earthy vocals. It feels like a deeply personal lyric, an outcry of pain and frustration. Possibly the tale of a son angry at an absent father or a dissolved friendship that was built on torment and one sided loyalty. 'Spineless' glitters with a sparkling melody and hard hitting drums as the words cut deep to your core.
The frantic, bold energy of 'Peaches and Cream' brings back the Pop Punk vibe as it protests the end of a story that has been both a "nightmare and a dream" featuring a segment of deep dark bass with occasional booming drums before building back into its brazen, confident rowdiness.
Angst driven 'I Hate You But I Hate Myself More' blasts with killer riffs and a more nonchalant indie rock style vocal with bold addictive chorus. The guitars rage against the drums before mellowing down to a moment of thoughtful, impassioned vox. The lyrics share the notion of cause and effect and how others can cause us to not only think negatively of them but also of yourself. The hate we feel for them transposes into a deep inner loathing. Pretending to be okay but slowly destroying yourself from the inside.
'Reason' is a perfectly surfy vibe delivered with theatrical, Morrissey-esque vocals. It's short, sharp and insanely catchy. Lyrically it's about doing things for the wrong reasons, pushing people away through bad choices wanting more but refusing to fight for it.
Coming in with a funky groove and electrifying riff, 'Turn It Off' is a tongue in cheek jibe at all the overly happy songs on the radio. When all you want to do is listen to bands like The Cure and wallow in self pity yet all that spills from your stereo are happy, up-tempo sounds that try to force you to feel the same. The chanty, punk-ish "whoa, whoa, whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no, no, hey, hey, hey" chorus is going to be stuck in your head for weeks!
'Rust' sparkles with its heavy, rocky in your face noise. It's well rounded with epic vocals and anthemic sound. The lyrics pour with the feeling of self loathing, watching the beautiful people get everything they want just by merit of being attractive while you're left battling inner demons, latching on to others just so you don't have to feel your own feelings. 'Rust' thunders with chaotic confidence and infectious energy.
'Like a Bomb' is another powerful, angst driven lyric sharing feelings of questioning self worth, like you're in a steady decline to the bottom burning bridges as you go like a liability, a ticking time bomb of self destruction. The track has a unapologetic, classic 80's power rock vibe with screaming guitars and soaring chorus.
The stunning 'Tonight' brings the pace right down to a simple acoustic tone. It's an outcry of pain at the end of a relationship, the torment, the mind games and the realisation everything was one sided but also the knowledge that in the end the pain will fade and everything will be fine. It features beautiful majestic keys and sensational heartfelt vocals that spill with so many emotions. It changes mid track introducing soft synths and an eletronica vibe before building for the finale of crashing drums and powerful vocals like a crescendo to the pain and suffering. 'Tonight' truly showcases everything So Long, Space Girl are about and everything they can do.
The bouncy, energetic pop punk anthem 'Pull the Trigger' focuses its attention on blame culture, distorted reflections of life, misguided intentions and a world full of hatred. The notion of a planet slowly destroying itself while everyone's so wrapped up in their own importance to take heed of the damage being done. It captures the concept of how if people come together and stuck together no one has to drown, a strength in numbers kind of viewpoint. It glistens with catchy hooks and a big chorus.
Soft, ethereal and understated 'The Great Underlying' is quiet, haunting with subtle synths and maximum impact. Sharing a captivating wave of positivity, the knowledge that through all the struggles one day the answer will become apparent and the way forward will reveal itself. The confession that we all have problems but the admittance that there's more to life than just yourself and sometimes the way to progress is to help others rather than the self indulgent belief that the world revolves around our own turmoil. It builds into a more full sound with a daydream feel to finish like the end of a storm.
Ending on a burst of conviction 'A Long Way to Run, A Longer Way to Climb' challenges the feelings of hopelessness but puts a brighter spin on them. Knowing that although you might not be perfect you're important and worth fighting for "I won't just give up on myself tonight". It reprises sections of the rest of the album as if to answer the angst in a more determined, everything will be okay fashion.
To summarise So Long, Space Girl are exciting and innovative combining a Pop Punk base with elements of indie, classic rock and occasional electronica. Their sound is addictive, passionate, authentic and sincere. They channel angst, pain and frustration through exquisite songwriting. There isn't a bad song on the whole of "Your Heroes Are All Dead" it's 12 tracks of big energy, hard hitting words and a likeable, infectious sound.
