morning for the masses

It hits you. Not with simply a flick on the wrist or a slap on the forehead, but a true-blue audio curb-stomp. This progressive post-hardcore drive, this elegant indie-rock delivery; nothing so similar comes off so remarkable. Morning for the Masses, even with their debut Wake Up Better, come through with flying colors in sculpting technical post-hardcore grandeur with the delicacy of indie-rock’s finer, more refined and melodic, side. The above, alongside Ben Hirschhorn’s epic vocal range and approach, make Seconds the complete package, that, to be honest, is the most refreshing new release I’ve heard in recent memory.

More than likely, following my introduction paragraph, you’ve already looked up and listened to the band’s first single off the EP, “Explanations”. Either that or you made a trip to UrbanDictionary.com and searched for what the hell a curb-stomp is. In any case, what you’re met with when finding “Explanations” is a dazzling display of vocally-led, intensity-based, and systematically-moving indie-core. Guided by hand in the beginning with the song’s dreamlike guitar-flutters and Ben’s subtle background beckoning, you’re dropped headfirst in the space of what the band’s more coheres and narrative material comes off as.

“The edge of the bed will figure it out/Your hands through my hair/I can’t leave now”

“Beginnings” and “Intentions” both start Seconds off relatively well. The former stays moderately straightforward, switching gears, however, towards the end for a true hardcore breakdown courtesy of Ben’s unexpected tempo shifts. One lyrical theme that comes into play, especially in “Beginnings”, is the subject of friends. The word makes appearances throughout the album, really adding a sense of artistic unity only furthered by the uniquely uniform and spaciously technical instrumentation of the EP. The question of whether it was intentional or not really pushed Seconds’s depth more, both musically and lyrically.

The Masses really make a turn for the best with “Victims”. The song’s instrumentation is very counter-intuitive. Guitar riffs differ from the bass’s mathematically brooding lines early on, continuing the legacy through to the song’s highlight breakdown midway in; then seemingly defying Ben’s passionate yells with angular rotaries and searing yelps of their own.

In what seems like Seconds’s most dire transition, from the outstanding “Explanations” to the EP’s second half, we find “Motives” bringing out quite a distinguished aspect of Morning for the Masses. The song both begins and ends in true indie-rock fashion; carefully and satisfactory in each elongated, ballad-like, arrangement. However, the middle is a rapturous mass of the band’s more passionate and aggressive impact. This departure from the expected song structure is what makes this collection of songs so distinctive. You’ll never see some of Seconds’s more profound punches coming, keeping the expiration date of this particular release in the far-offs.

“Cocoons” will be the favorite of Seconds for some. The song’s got a very accessible vibe; complete with easily the best chorus on the entire damn EP. It got stuck in my head, it’ll fuck with your head too. “Seconds” wraps it all up nicely. It relishes in “Cocoons” wake, but twists it to an appropriately summative epic. Both, when listened to back-to-back, really helps one see both sides of the band. And if the diversity between them will speak anything to first-time listeners, we’re going to have a best seller on our hands.

Finishing this review, I am sitting in silence after finally turning off my stereo. It has been playing Morning for the Masses's Seconds on repeat for the better part of the night. Even now, after having been listening to the album for so long, I still feel my mind wandering -- my finger inching in favor of the power button. Will my hand succumb to my brain's will? Will the stereo's power button succumb to my inching finger? With an album of such caliber as Seconds, the answer is: only too easy! - www.absolutepunk.net