Album Reviews
- by Tom Dumarey
Kingston, NY trio Nightmares For A Week are back with their first new album in five years. And well, calling it ‘Celebrations’ was not a bad idea because it sums up what an absolute delight it is to listen to. Bassist/vocalist Sean-Paul Pillsworth said of the new album that “We’re not oblivious to all the heaviness in the world right now. We just wanted to make a record that provided some levity for us and others.” And that’s exactly what they did.
The ten songs that make up ‘Celebrations’ all come with plenty of energy and catchy, sun-soaked melodies that are hand-polished to shiny perfection. The kind that come with an instant sense of familiarity. These songs are not quite punk, not quite indie, not quite 90ies emo… but at the same time they are all of the above.
‘I’m Your Haze’ is a short introduction that sets the stage for what’s to come, but it’s with songs like ‘Arrows’, ‘Penance’ and the title track that they really impress. Maybe a weird comparison, but at times they made me think of a less bummed out version of Iron Chic. Killer tunes loaded with vocal harmonies and backup vocals that make it hard to believe there are just three of them in the band. Later on there’s the doo wop –influenced ‘Beautiful Boy’ and ‘Canadian Tuxedo’ but by then we were already celebrating ‘Celebrations’.
Track listing:
- I’m Your Haze
- Arrows
- Summer
- Celebrations
- Friends
- Beautiful Boy
- Penance
- Peep
- Canadian Tuxedo
- Always