“Everything sacred finds its way to filthy hands.”
Scowl comes to us in the midst of a transition. After starting off with a rather run-of-the-mill hardcore punk sound, their debut LP had one interesting deviation. “Seeds to Sow” featured an unexpected saxophone section before showing off strong melodic vocals from frontwoman Kat Moss. The band further explores this direction on the messy 2023 EP Psychic Dance Routine. Still finding that footing, it amounted to some Frankenstein’s monster moments. “Shot Down”, for instance, comes off like two discrete songs awkwardly glued together.
Second full-length Are We All Angels drops that pretense and almost fully leans into alternative rock with melodic lead vocals. While this move has been telegraphed for some time, the complete shift from How Flowers Grow will surely be doubted by long-time fans. With that said, the question then becomes: how well is this direction achieved?
“Burned at both ends, yeah, it just won’t let up,
I want to catch my breath.
Everyone here, could you please just shut up?
I gotta catch my breath.“
Opener and lead single “Special” acts as a reasonably accurate litmus test for the album overall. The focal point is Moss‘s strong clean vocals, which make up the lion’s share. They are the item on display both here and across the album, and understandably so as they make up many of the most memorable moments. Beneath, a streak of hardcore edge guide’s the largely 90s alt rock worship instrumentation. They haven’t completely abandoned their previous sound, with one notable segment here, but reduce it to a supporting element.
Next track and single “B.A.B.E.” does a bit more to blend the two styles. The chorus is somewhat saccharine, contrasted to the shouted first verse with some of the heavier guitars on the album. It does the synthesis better than anything off of Psychic Dance Routine and sounds more free-flowing. On the other hand, “Fantasy” drops most of this pretense outside of its final seconds. While not quite grunge, it builds on a ready-made 90s alt rock riff.
“All the things that I didn’t say,
Think it’s best that it’s left that way,
Tonight, tonight.“
Final single “Tonight (I’m Afraid)” fits into a similar mold, and this attribute readily applies to many tracks found on Are We All Angels: a memorable chorus surrounded by forgettable verses. Some nice guitar leads pop up during the bridge before dropping into a shouted interpolation of the chorus. “Fleshed Out” follows, with an opening guitar riff that is eerily similar to Far‘s “In The Aisle, Yelling”. Otherwise, by this point in the album, there is not a whole lot new to be said. Another good chorus, some decent ideas, but not a lot to take away.
Of the remaining tracks, “Suffer the Fool (How High Are You?)” stands out as the highlight. This time, Scowl commits to the sound they had toyed with, giving it real teeth. The chorus stands out as the best on an album most notable for its choruses. I consider this song the most natural sounding and most successful experiment with the new sound.
As a big fan of 90s alternative worship (see: Fleshwater), the enjoyment factor certainly makes an impact. However, on the whole, Are We All Angels likely fails to win over any doubters. Kat Moss does an excellent job with her vocals across the album, but paper-thin lyrics and awkward verses drag things down to a consistently forgettable level.
6/10
Are We All Angels comes out Friday, April 4th on Dead Oceans with pre-orders here.