Type: Album
Score: 8.5/10
Date modified: Dec 18, 2025
Oops, forgot to rate one of my favourite albums of 2025. Classic. When I first saw people start to talk about this album I actively avoided it, not for any logical reasons but because I thought the cover looked like the album would be ambient, it's not bad at all but it just kind of gave off that vibe to me. Anyways, after I finally gave this album a chance I discovered that it was absolutely incredible, especially for a debut album. A lot of it reminded me of BCNR but not in a cheap knockoff way like Plan 75 or La Brea, this for sure felt like its own thing taking a more sombre tone than those two and in my opinion being a better BCNR album than the album BCNR themselves released this year. Not exactly an original opinion based on what I've read online but still. This album also isn't afraid to make somewhat bizarre choices like how Seyburn is basically just one guy with a guitar and I think that choice paid off as Seyburn is a very sweet song with an atmosphere that continues to become more and more relaxed until you're jolted awake with Your Old Place, the best song on this album (but I'll talk more about it later). The whole album feels like it's in constant flux with explosive highs and mellow lows throughout its almost hour long playtime. While I'd love to say that it's the perfect length, I just don't think it is, one of this album's biggest weaknesses for me is that it's just a little too long, had it been maybe ten minutes shorter it would've been a 9 or even 9.5 for me, but tracks 5 through 7 just don't do anything for me at all. Maybe they'll grow on me, seems like other people like them more than Heavy Red or Seyburn at least which kind of baffles me as Seyburn at least is one of my most listened to songs on this album, it feels so cosy and personal even if the subject-matter is sad (I think, Genius is really letting me down on this song though I'm pretty sure it's about Emily's death which is tying this whole project together though it could also just be about the writer and Emily breaking up which I hope is the case).
Now to get a little more back on track I'll talk about tracks 8 through 13 which I think is one of the most impressive run of songs in any album I've ever heard and even rivalling Geese's final four on Getting Killed which is their main competitor for my AOTY in my mind. The way it climbed to peak on Outlast then plummeted back down in 34th Floor (no I didn't mean for that to sound like a joke) with the sombre vibes continuing until it ends on Your Old Place which remains atmospheric and sombre but slowly builds into a point where the instrumental is even starting to clip (though that could always just be my headset or Spotify being bad however I really like it). Your Old Place is such a great way to end an album and the way it ends without fading out reminds me of the way Getting Killed ends so bombastically with Long Island City Here I Come however that ending made it sound like I was flying into the sun while this is certainly more grounded. Anyways it's getting really late and I don't even know what I'm writing any more, this whole thing was even more off the cuff than most of these thoughts. Sorry I compared it to Geese so much but Getting Killed, Revengeseekerz and this were my most listened to albums this year and it's a little difficult to compare an album like this to Revengeseekerz. Also if you're pissed off about me putting this in a category with other BCNR adjacent albums just listen to the first minute or so of the first song and tell me they don't give off BCNR vibes.