Album Review: I Was Totally Destroying It - Preludes

I Was Totally Destroying It’s Preludes sounds bigger, tighter, and more focused than their previous release, Horror Vacui, but it’s not as much fun to listen to.

The band’s sound is much more defined this time around. Before they were battling back and forth between mainstream and indie pop sounds and now they’ve settled somewhere in between both with a heavily 80’s rock influenced sound. No doubt inspired by the many U2 tribute concerts the band has played, the guitar sound on Preludes owes a lot to The Edge.

The production is slick and the songs are meant to fill stadiums. I Was Totally Destroying It is in overdrive for most of the album and the energy adds a lot of excitement to the music. There are a few moments where the band slows things down, such as “All Get Lucky” and “Fight/Flight,” but there is still a soaring quality to them.

However, all the technical improvement puts more distance between the listener and the music. The band felt much more exposed and honest on Horror Vacui whereas now it sounds like the band is playing things safe. Rarely are the melodies on Preludes as infectious as those on the previous album.

It’s hard to call Preludes a step forward or a step back. I Was Totally Destroying It has a lot of heart, but the technical strides the band have obscured it some.

Preludes is out now. I Was Totally Destroying It will be playing Local 506 on Friday, April 22 with Anitbubbles and Prisms.