livefreediyhard.com

Category: Album Review

  • Dead World Building by How I became Invisible

    Dead World Building by How I became Invisible

    Artist: How I Became Invisible 

    Album: Dead World Building 

    Release: March 6, 2026; Anthropic Principle Records 

    How I Became Invisible is back with more Sci-fi infused emo punk rock. “Dead World Building” picks up where the previous release “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost” left off. It continues with the themes of trans struggle. However, while the last album delivered more of a zeal to fight a changing world, this one instead settles on themes of building something positive in a world that is dead or dying. In a sense, you get the feeling that the fight from the last album was lost and we are left here dealing with the aftermath.

    The initial track “Dead Astronauts, Pt. 1” goes a long way to set the stage for the feeling of a battle lost. The lo-fi crackles and pops make the song seem like a lost transmission. I can’t help but imagine an astronaut floating in the void to space, signing off for the last time having become resigned to an “inevitable” fate.  Then, in “Dead Astronauts, Pt. 2” instead of the lo-fi crackles, you are greeted in the first notes of the song by a piano. The notes are soft, sweet and beautiful. As the song progresses, you begin to feel that perhaps things are not as bleak as the first part had led us to believe. Then,  the second verse hits with a rather poetic metaphor and ends with the line ‘That we are not the problem and we’re not gonna die for you’. This is a line that is reprised from “We Are (NOT) The Problem” a song from the last album. I described it as a trans resistance anthem and a fight song. This is the point where the astronaut I imagined from the first song decides that fate is not inevitable and that a better world can be built and fought for. These two songs act as flag posts for the themes of the album. Pt. 1— continued struggle. Pt. 2—the active choice to build something positive in a world that is falling apart around you. 

    Up until the song, “We Are (not) Okay”, I think a lot of the trans struggle has been couched in metaphors of sci-fi. A fantastic move as sci-fi makes it easier to consume for the masses. While, giving a wink and saying—If you know you know—to its real target audience. This song however drops the sci-fi set dressing and just flat out lays it all on the line. It is a heart wrenching song. I hope cis people like me, listen to this song and begin to understand that the present struggles of trans people will be the the future struggles of everyone. If we allow oppressors to steal the human rights from one group, they will not stop until no one has human rights. This will be everyone’s future if we roll over and allow it to continue to happen to our trans neighbors.

    This is not a surprise to anyone who knows me but “Mosh Pit In The Wawa” is my favorite song of the album. It is a relentlessly catchy punk rock celebration of putting a past relationship behind you and moving on. I love so much about this song from the intro delivered as if it were a page broadcast over the intercom system of the titular Wawa, to the verses that end in the lyrics “The world I love is waiting for me, and I am stronger than I thought I’d be.” I just find it an incredibly empowering statement especially how it is sung. Emily’s ability to pen these inspirational one liners is a highlight of her writing for me.       

    “Judicious Bloodletting” is a top notch instrumental song. “Harley and Ivy” isn’t technically an instrumental piece but is still an impressive composition that is laid over a spoken word piece that I feel is very meaningful. You kind of have to dial in to hear it all but it is definitely worth the extra attention you’ll have to pay. For anyone unfamiliar with How I Became Invisible’s back catalog, these 2 tracks are a great introduction to Emily’s instrumental work and really sells her prowess for composition.  

    “Dead World Building” is another fantastic addition to the How I Became Invisible discography. I appreciate the expansion on what “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost” gave us. It is a refinement of themes as much as it was a continuation of the story. It may be bold of me to suggest, but I think this album is best listened to in its entirety directly after listening to the whole of “Everything Not Safe Will Be Lost”. In fact, during an interview I did with Emily way back in 2023, she said that all of How I Became Invisible’s albums tell an interconnected story and I think that with these last 2 albums that has become perfectly clear. 

  • Harmonic Convergence by Mega Infinity

    Harmonic Convergence by Mega Infinity

    Album: Harmonic Convergence

    Artist: Mega Infinity

    Released: March 3, 2025; Say-10/Direct Support Music Group

    If ska infused progressive rock is your kind of jam, then you probably know all about Long Island 4 piece Mega Infinity. They have been a staple of the current DIY Ska scene for many years. Their signature style features sick guitar riffs, meaningful and engaging lyrics and a community centered outlook that always brings a good time. Their newest full length album “Harmonic Convergence” released last Tuesday.

    My favorite song on the album is “When You Get Home”. It is a highly relatable and an extremely sweet love song. Maybe I am just a sucker for that kind of thing but it honestly makes my heart melt a little when I listen to it. There is also some stellar saxophone in the song which I of course absolutely adore. The vocal performance is very sincere and honest. The thing that gets me right in the heart is the story of the song. It starts with a couple who is dating. The boyfriend has to leave and the girlfriend wants him to call when he gets home. The song then goes on to explain how she loves him and how safe he makes her feel and how she wants him to be safe as well. Again, it is very sweet and sincere. The next verse the couple is married and reminiscing about back when they dated and then they wonder about their future together. In the last verse, the couple has a kid and you are treated to more snapshots of their lives as the kid grows up and becomes an adult. Then, the song goes back to the, now mom, asking her child to call her when they get home. It is then that you realized that what you have just witnessed is love make a complete cycle from romantic love for a partner, to parental love for a child. Honestly, it’s beautiful, god tier storytelling. Also, shout out to my wife who this song very easily could have been written about. She is exactly the way POV character of the song is portrayed and still to this day asks all our adult children to tell her when they get home. Perhaps that’s why I fine it so relatable.

    “The World” is another really well written song about finding love and acceptance among friends and community. It is a really upbeat pop-punk song. It also has a really awesome guitar solo during the back half of the song. I think it is the perfect track 1 for the album as it really sets the tone for what follows.

    Gerilyn Hayes-McCloskey of Böndbreakr provides additional vocals on the song “In Bocca Al Lupo”. Her vocals are fantastic and add a level of visceral empowerment that takes the song to another level. The prog rock guitar that intros the song is also great at stoking the energy needed to address the subject of the song. It recounts the story of Medusa and uses it as a metaphor for overcoming trauma and then from there setting out to protect others. It’s a song about survival and empowerment; an utterly marvelous message.

    Lastly, I just wanted to briefly mention the song “The Crowd Goes Mild”. It is a scything rebuttal of how big tech has a straggle hold on the music industry and generative AI. It talks about how this hurts the music scene. Most importantly, the comment on how to combat this by finding solidarity with other artists and by making real music with real people.

    This “Harmonic Convergence” marks their second full length release since “Rainbow Heartache” released in 2021. The almost 5 years was worth the wait. Everything presented in this album is an improvement on their first album and even their 2023 solo EP and takes the style they are known for and kicks it up to 20.