Lobsterfight – Sun Soaking
Emo is a difficult genre to review in 2022. Typically, one has to forgive sloppiness in execution for genuinely of emotion. Respectfully, Lobsterfight’s latest album has greatly improved in the execution department. Gone are the unintentional off-key drums and unintentionally lackadaisical guitars in lieu of professional craftmanship. It begs the question; does Sun Soaking, released March 31, 2022, hold up in the enjoyability department?
Surprisingly, yes. The album opens with the stunning Grasshopper And I. The song layers guitars and saxophones while maintaining a beautiful, harmonious melody at its centre. Peak summer emo kino. Throughout the remaining album, Sun Soaking remains a constant, upbeat vibe. The range is very impressive, despite sticking mostly to emo. The harmonicas and saxophones are such a wonderful addition, such as on tracks Lambert Goes To Dinner and Grass Ripping. There’s even a luscious violin gorgeously flowing through My Grasshopper I See The Sun Soaking Through Your Teeth. Other standouts include Afterwards, a sweet digestible summer serenade, the almost comical Animal-Collective inspired indie suite grass planting, and the impressive emo/classical-inspired outro of Let's Run Through The Cornfield's. While forgivable, the only flaw comes in line with the vocals. The style is fitting, though there’s very little variation in the delivery outside of Harvest and the closer, and they tend to clash with the harmonies of the instruments. This intentional style works well for the most part, though an alternative take could have improved some of the more dissonant sections and given other songs more flavour. All in all, the instrumentals are remarkable, though the vocal harmonies bring the score down in the composition department.
It’s no secret I thought Lobsterfight’s debut was overrated. While there were certain highlights, I thought the whole experience was inconsistent. In contrast, Sun Soaking is wonderfully coherent. The summer vibe consistent throughout is so damn pleasant it could rip a ray of sunshine through the darkest rooms. It takes all the strengths of their debut and improves upon the weaknesses. Of all the emo acts online, Lobsterfight have respectfully come out on top; though the genre still needs a revamp; a fusion of some kind. This is not a critique on the band, but the genre itself. It’s become predictable, and greatly oversaturated. Nevertheless, thanks to Sun Soaking, it hasn’t been this enjoyable in quite some time. Highly recommended to any fan of the genre.
Really Good
Listen to it here:
Lobsterfight – Sun Soaking
