SeeYouSpaceCowboy return with a refined sound on their sophomore effort The Romance of Affliction, proving themselves as the leading edge of the self-described “sasscore” genre.
Now we’re both trapped in the movement.
Just six months removed from their last effort, a split with If I Die First, SeeYouSpaceCowboy strike again. Building on the early-to-mid 2000s revival style they’ve developed thus far, it’s loaded with references to escapism, particularly through drug use. This theme would be particularly relevant with frontwoman Connie Sgarbossa‘s overdose two weeks after the album’s recording. She described the album as “a self-fulfilling prophecy,” which served to demonstrate that she “wrote the album that I needed to write.”
With that context, the band released the lead single “Misinterpreting Constellations”, track two on The Romance of Affliction:
All our failures are stars,
All precious and always known.
I’m still singing your praise in the end.
Bassist Taylor Allen‘s return to the band enabled greater dynamics, which this track displays in spades. Both Sgarbossa siblings as well as Allen lend their voices to the album, which helps to create more melodic moments. The heavier moments found on The Correlation Between Entrance and Exit Wounds remain present in full. However, they’re surrounded by greater variation, both in sound and song structure. The band demonstrates the kind of growth one might expect for a follow up album, without falling into the trap of sameness and stagnation.
Betray the coveted,
You still entice and have a taste for.
Every solemn gaze we say by name,
And the tension tastes sweet.
Then, the next single “The End to a Brief Moment of Lasting Intimacy” comes across as an absolute statement, with a music video to match. Arguably the strongest track here, it closes out a trio of excellent tracks that kick off the album. Connie Sgarbossa‘s wrenching vocals contrast excellently with the airy chorus. The increased emphasis on clean vocals pays dividends, which shines most clearly on this track.
The album also contains a few excellent features, such as Every Time I Die‘s Keith Buckley on the opener and split-mates If I Die First on the title track. However, one feature, SHAOLIN G on “Sharpen What You Can” fails to live up to the high bar the rest of the album sets. It feels tacked on and unnatural, and though it deserves credit for the experiment, it would serve the album better if left off.
I’m just not sold on oh so graceful end,
Are you with me?
Weighed down by the story,
I’m lost as a witness to the tale,
Cause it never made sense to me.
One of the most melodic tracks on the album, “Intersecting Storylines to the Same Tragedy” features a solid verse from Aaron Gillespie of Underoath. Another addition to the many vocal styles displayed, it follows a series of back and forths and tradeoffs. Ethan Sgarbossa gets a good chance to shine on this one as well, slipping into near-mathcore in certain moments here and throughout the album.
Indeed, SeeYouSpaceCowboy‘s major appeal comes with their tendency to shift between hardcore styles regularly, and that quality goes further on this album than their prior work. Although not every experiment attempted proves successful, their batting average remains high. The Romance of Affliction plays on the band’s strengths, and sets a new milestone in their discography.
8.5/10
The Romance of Affliction will release on November 5th via Pure Noise Records. You can find pre-orders here.