The world keeps crushing us, the way it takes us in.
Jeromes Dream‘s comeback season continues. LP ended nearly two decades of latency in 2019, but met some derision upon release. It continued the controversial megaphone-style vocals from Presents, which does have its fans but also many detractors. It left some disappointed, but the single “Commonly, the Other Head in Both Hands” from later that year featured a return to screamed vocals. Not as visceral as the screeches heard on their debut Seeing Means More Than Safety, but it certainly kept no megaphones in sight. As a fan of both styles, I was curious where new album The Gray In Between might land.
Opener “Conversations: In Time, On Mute” answers the call quickly: vocalist Jeff Smith screams once more.
Be here in the morning.
We’ll paint new eyes with,
What’s left of the,
Blood-stained smoke that swallows.
Following that excellent intro, first single “Stretched Invisible From London” jumps haphazardly into focus . Longtime fans of JD will recognize the signature angular riffing, but more melodic moments come and go as well. These become a trend for the album overall, and fit well within the larger swell of classic moments. This track proves right for a showcase of the album to come.
And as four for time slows,
We stop to burn out our bright light.
The world keeps crushing us,
The way it takes us in.
“South By Isolation” may stand out as the best song on The Gray In Between. The frantic pacing overlaying an incredibly pretty guitar lead at about 1:30 marks this point as well as anything I say can. Again, a more melodic side comes out in full force, but doesn’t overshadow the main course. Instead, it adds an incredible layer of depth to what would otherwise be an already competent song.
I can’t change what happens here today.
But soon you’ll see me climb out from the inside,
Of your mouth with what I need.
By the time “AAEEAA” starts, the album has already pushed through over half of its brief 24-minute runtime. Following the interlude “Cosmos In Season” (one of two on a ten track album for some reason), . this track is built on dynamics that make up the majority of the song’s existence, though subsequent track “On Holiday With Infinity” arguably proves a more interesting listen. The middle mark where most instrumentation falls always before breaking back into heavy guitar does make for a highlight. I suppose this can act as the “banger” of the album, but for my money, the other singles outstrip this one.
That leads into The Gray In Between‘s biggest weakness, which is that despite an overall great sound, the album is noticeably top heavy. That’s not to say tracks like “The Future Of Memory” don’t rip, because they certainly do, but the most memorable moments on the album come from its first four songs. Closer “The Last Water Pearl” exists as the exception, primarily because it showcases the same things that made it a great album to start with: that extra dimension that levels the whole thing up.
With that being said, many will call The Gray In Between a return to form for a band that disappointed some with their previous effort. As a huge proponent of LP, I can’t go that far. However, the album does make good on the promise they always show and should please longtime fans.
8.5/10
Jeromes Dream – The Gray In Between comes out this Friday, May 5 on Iodine Recordings with pre-orders here.