Album Reviews

Written over a twelve month period during which vocalist Rachel Browne had to deal with a relationship nearing its expiration date and a sudden illness in the family, “Episodic” serves as a perfect example of how something great can come from life dealing you a really shitty hand.

Field Mouse’s third album is their first as a five piece (they started out as a duo) and their best so far. Recorded with Hop Along’s Joe Reinhart, these ten songs are all kinds of poppy, punky and dreamy deliciousness rolled into one, with additional 90ies flair to boot. “Episodic” is the band’s most cohesive album to date, yet at the same time there are still plenty of different moods and vibes to explore throughout these ten songs.

Opening track “The Mirror” bursts through the door with a massive riff that is kept in check by Browne’s sweet vocals, while “The Order Of Things” is as cute as it is cheerful. And then there’s “Widow With A Terrible Secret”, which sees the band getting their nineties groove on. After that you still have “Beacon” and “Do You Believe Me Now?” coming up, two more album highlights that lead up to the angry closing track “Out Of Context”. It starts off mellow enough before going out in a blaze of distortion and Browne yelling ‘it hurts’ over and over again. Heartbreaking, but all she needs to do really is listen to “Episodic”. It sure as hell made my day instantly better.