“Just leave and clean up the mess you made.”
Beginning their journey in 2020, So Much Hope, Buried. have already undergone a significant amount of change. Their 2022 EP, Sentiment, saw the band taking on a uniquely piano-infused melodic hardcore sound. Following some changes in their lineup, the band have pivoted towards a broader rock direction, while still retaining the keys that had become a signature of their sound. Comprising of vocalist-keyboardist Derek Nowak guitarist-vocalist Andrew Blank, drummer Eric Novroski, and bassist Gavin Jacobs, the band present their debut full-length, I’d Be Lying to Say I’m Not Weak.
“Vacant Home” was the album’s first single and its opener. Setting the stage well, the post-hardcore instrumentals provide an interesting contrast with Nowak’s vocals. With its metaphors of an abandoned home drawing parallels to a withered relationship, its emotion is felt in the band’s performance. The track reaches a climax with a feature from Mochinaga of Japanese post-hardcore band Fall Of Tears. Mochinaga’s screamed vocals over a bed of tremolos and blast beats provide an unexpected twist to the album, serving only to push the album’s emotion even further.
Following track “Complacency” harkens back to the band’s roots, pushing a melodic hardcore sound. The lead work from Blank mixed with the keys from Nowak provide an intriguing combination, elements not often mixed in this style. There’s a good layer of nuance with the composition of the tracks on the album, with many of its details hidden under the surface.
Most of the album’s sound has a softer, piano-ballad mixed with rock approach, but the band manages to provide a good level of variation sonically. “Lucid” takes on a more ballad-like approach, with a melancholically calm, piano-driven first verse dropping the album’s intensity momentarily before building it up again for the chorus. The track strips back the instrumentals at points, varying the dynamics of the track effectively. The track ends on choir-like falsetto melodies from Nowak and Blank, closing the track quite beautifully.
“Idle Hands” takes on a darker, heavier twist with its post-hardcore chugging leading the intro. The track’s chorus opens up to an impressive ambience, feeling like a gentle sway despite its darker overtones. Dropping into a saxophone-led breakdown that drops out into a jazzy outro, there’s an impressive level of unpredictability that this album presents in its influences.
A major standout to this album is the vocal performance, particularly from Nowak He presents an excellent stability to his voice, able to go between falsettos to a more full-bodied mixed voice. The album makes a bold choice to utilize only singing from the band, and Nowak’s abilities allow the band to push forward with that. “Worry About Me” demonstrates this perfectly, as the track starts off with Nowak’s vocals over a purely piano backing. His vocal intensity grows as the track builds towards a more full-bodied sound with the rest of the band coming in, driving the emotion of the track impressively. Blank’s vocals do get moments to shine too, with his grittier, pop punk-style vocals lending itself to contrast Nowak’s. “Fade” sees the band take on a more pop-punk driven sound, and Blank holds the verses down really well.
I mentioned it earlier, but I have to emphasise the piano-driven sound on this album is really something special. Present prominently in every track on the album, they are a layer of nuance that gives the album character. The way the keys fill in the space on the verses on “Speaking In Poetry” drive the emotion to truly hit before the guitars take over on the chorus. Not many bands utilise this element as intentionally or as well as So Much Hope, Buried. Pairing with the aforementioned vocal approach the album takes, the band’s sound is something quite unique.
The title track closes the album, leaning heavily into post-rock influences to drive its atmosphere. Its grand and cinematic nature sees it befitting of its closer status, with a powerful chorus helping the album to hit an emotional peak. Wrapped in a wistful ambience, every other element of the track works in tandem with this atmosphere, fully filling the space. The track’s mid-track breakdown changes the track’s pace just enough without disrupting it, working as a cathartic release.
I’d Be Lying to Say I’m Not Weak is truly quite a special album. Deceptively simple on the surface, its myriad of influences and strong performances present a lot of hidden detail, and more importantly, a strong identity. It’s undeniably heartfelt, with its instrumentals intentionally crafted to draw out the emotions behind each track. So Much Hope, Buried. tackles their change in sound without losing any of the band’s character, and the result is an album that is a genuine expression of the band’s creativity and heart.
8.5/10
I’d Be Lying to Say I’m Not Weak releases on the 17th of May via self-release. Pre-order links for the album can be found here and merch links can be found here.