“I’ll just go out and stare at the sky.”
There have been many genres attributed to Detroit’s The Armed’s sound over their many years putting out music, particularly noise rock. 2021’s Ultrapop showcased punk rock and hardcore stylings teeming with pop and synth elements. However, I think it’s difficult to shoehorn the band into one subset of sounds, as they’ve done so much over their discography to reject that, and that nature continues in their newest full-length album, Perfect Saviors.
First, the elephant in the room, it may or may not come as a surprise to readers that the lineup for The Armed is far from solidified. The band has countless contributors across their discography, and even the touring members do not mean to represent anything official. Then there’s the persona “Dan Greene” as discussed in this year’s Fader article. All that is to say, discussing the band’s members specifically will be difficult, yet I will try my best. Luckily, I can focus on the music that is oh so good.
After a week or so of billboard teasing, the band announced Perfect Saviors with lead single “Sport of Form” which opens with experimental yet crushing electronics, while taking a couple turns. I really like how the track slows into a vocal harmony over an acoustic guitar, before exploding once again. This is a great first track to release, and the perfect song to show anyone that is interested in getting into the band. It shows their dynamic, chaotic nature, and shows how they take an “arena rock” approach with their song writing, as the track ends with Julien Baker of all people singing ‘does anyone even know you, does anyone even care?’ on repeat, begging to be performed in an arena setting.
One could think of opener “Sport of Measure” as the opposite side of the same coin, given the title. I do think the track has a similar structure with respect to the peaks and valleys the song takes you to across its run time. “Sport of Measure” does feel like more of an intro, which is suitable, but that doesn’t stop it from really finding its footing in the back half as the lead guitar is heavenly, and the drums laid down by Urian Hackney are a perfect pace setter. This then transitions beautifully into “FKA World” which starts quickly on the vocal front. Mastermind behind the punk rock collective, Tony Wolski, channels his 90s influenced brain on the topline, sounding like something the band Ocean Grove would put out.
This vocal style is pretty consistent throughout the record, and the band’s history as a whole, but it ebbs and flows in intensity. It’s strong on the following track, “Clone”, but this cut is harder to pin down as a first-time listener, I’d imagine. “Clone” has more distortion, more noise rock aspects than its predecessor, and it likes to throw the listener for more of a loop. Hackney’s drumming impresses once again, as he’s responsible for some fantastic fills, and often is tasked with guiding the rest of the song to the next section. I really like how the track comes together in the end, ramping up the energy and chaos, and even repping some black metal vocals.
While the album is fantastic through its first three tracks, “Modern Vanity” is a welcome change of pace. The lead riff out the gate is vibey, setting the tone for the verses, and the vocals are less intense in turn. Despite this, the choruses utilize screamed vocals and do ramp the track up a bit before returning to its relatively relaxing nature. The bridge, which is more of an outro, meets these sonic opposites in the middle for a satisfying conclusion, though it’s far from my favorite moment on the record.
“Everything’s Glitter”, which was the second teaser track for Perfect Saviors, takes up a lot of the same space within my brain as tracks like “Sport of Form” – huge sounding and ambitious. Though the electronics are stripped back, the vocal delivery is incredibly emotional, and there is not one, but two extended, cathartic sections. The second verse channels the best part of The Strokes both instrumentally and vocally. This inspiration continues on the bridge, as Wolski absolutely bleeds heart as he sings ‘same old lives // yeah, you got the same old lives // you tell the same old lies…’ which will have you leaving your body in his expert delivery. This is certainly a contender for my favorite song on the record.
I do think the band puts out a couple of average tracks on Perfect Saviors, at least with respect to the rest of their output. The first comes in the form of “Burned Mind.” This is not a large departure from the band’s sound, but it sounds more like an amalgamation of everything they’ve done on Perfect Saviors, but without much direction or artistic inspiration. There’s still some good stuff here, like the plucky bass and playful drum sections scattered throughout. There’s also the falsetto combined with these elements as the bridge leads into a climactic finish; the expert song writing is still here, but the feeling of the track and emotion behind it is not as palpable. I don’t have much to say about “Patient Mind”, either. It comes across as a fairly standard noise rock cut. I like what the band does with setting a mood on it – the vocal delivery is cool, and there are some industrial, distorted sounds present during the verses, and the chorus is solid, but this is not a track I’ve often come back to. Lastly, “Vatican Under Construction” is not a favorite of mine, either. I like how musical the track is, especially with how the bassline and lead guitar play off each other on the verses, though the latter gets a bit grating on the ears. Furthermore, there is one lyric that is repeated for the vast majority of the song’s runtime. By the end of it, it’s another example of a track that fails to express when compared to some of the amazing ones on this very same album.
Speaking of, “Liar 2” is a wonderful, playful cut. The lyrics have some swagger to them, while also tongue-in-cheek funny, and the instrumental is smooth throughout. You can feel the love put into this one: take the vocals of Sarah Tudzin playing a bigger part, the backing, energetic horns, or the way the track comes together towards the end as examples.
“In Heaven” lulls the listener into the final moments of the album with a beautiful saxophone appearance, lush vocals, and a comforting soundscape. It’s a very welcome couple minutes on the album, as so much of the rest of it has been very much not this, and it’s done so well here. The sax almost sounds like it’s pulled from George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” at times, which would be amazing if that was indeed the sonic inspiration.
Lastly, closing out the record, “Public Grieving” opens with a pleasant piano section and as I’ve mentioned, these softer tracks really add to the enjoyment of the record, and I think the band included just the right amount. The bass towards the start, and throughout the track, truly elevates its sound. The piano returns at times, giving the song a jazz flair. It’s a musically impressive closer, showcasing the band’s virtuosity and ability to evoke emotion within their sound. I also enjoy the cyclical, climactic nature of the lyrics, referencing previous tracks on the album like “Sport of Form” and “Sport of Measure” together.
Perfect Saviors is not a perfect record, as very few are, but the album is making a case for The Armed being one of the greatest rock bands in the world, as they love to tout. Despite a couple underdeveloped cuts, I currently struggle to point to an album that has an array of impressive, emotional, and cathartic tracks quite like this. Because of that, Perfect Saviors is one of the best albums of the year, so far.
8.5/10
You can pre-order the album here before its release this Friday, August 25th.