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Category: Album Review

  • The Catalyst by Abigail Austin

    The Catalyst by Abigail Austin

    Artist: Abigail Austin

    Album: The Catalyst 

    Released: October 10, 2025; Say-10 Records

    “The Catalyst” marks a change in career trajectory for Abigail Austin. Her former work focused more on the folk genre, while this album, as you will soon see, is something very different. This album was my introduction to Abigail so, I am not going to bother comparing and contrasting her old stuff versus the new, but I will say that she clearly is a seasoned musician and it shows. 

    Before we get into the meat of this review, I wanted to say something about the naming conventions used for songs on this album. They are all clever, witty, and a little punny at times. To a certain extent, they remind me of Mid 2000’s emo song names, while not being as absurd as some of the more notable examples of that era. I enjoy them immensely. I am really only bringing this up to prepare y’all for the name drop of my favorite song. It is everything I mentioned above as well as being unnecessarily horny— “The Shape of the Country to Cum”  This song was an instant sell to me on the whole album. It’s got a power in its music and vocal performance that is reminiscent of a really good Cher ballade. Lyrically I think it would be fair to read this as some type of road song. However, I believe that the road is a metaphor for finding yourself and leaving the old you behind. There is something incredibly empowering in that thought and how it is conveyed by the song.  

    “Ultimate Frisbee on astroTeRF” is the type of love song that gets written at the resolution of a relationship that doesn’t end so well. It’s self reflective about what makes a good relationship and how that failed one ultimately didn’t provide that. It’s honestly just a really solid song. I love the beat, the hook, and the message. 

    Last, “Red Flag Forestry Service” is a dark and gloomy look at the state of the United States and how it has historically failed to live up to the promises presented by the myths of the country. I also believe it spends a little bit of time making reference to how American society tends to place blame for it’s systemic failings on those who it most disenfranchises. Blaming the poor for being poor, etc… The line ‘why would the world of man teach a worm to stand’ to me is about how those disenfranchised individuals then begin to internalize all that propaganda and in short begin to except the unwarranted blame that is force upon them. As a whole, it is a pretty apt look at America and it is delivered in a sorrowful respect that I think the topic deserves. 

    Abigail Austin’s, “The Catalyst” delivers everything I love about 80s pop rock divas like Cher and Bonnie Tyler, but reimagines it in a modern synth wave packaging that is unique and up lifting.  This is a much welcomed evolution in Abigail’s career path. I hope she stays the course moving forward. I would love to see more music in this vain from her and that is coming from someone who loves folk music so, you know this is seriously good stuff. 

    If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase The Catalyst by Abigail Austin digitally via Amazon Music

  • New Dead Ends by The Best of the Worst

    New Dead Ends by The Best of the Worst

    Artist: The Best of the Worst

    Album: New Dead Ends 

    Released: September 19, 2025; Bad Time Records

    Best of the Worst, I think at this point can be considered veterans of the New Jersey music scene. “New Dead Ends” is their second release on Bad Time Records, but they’ve been making stellar Skacore jams since 2008. Personally, I have been a big fan since the last release “Better Medicine.” Their propensity to present social commentary flung at you with hard and fast instrumentals is endearing. This new release is no different. 

    Musically, “Curtain Call” is absolutely fantastic. Hands down my favorite song on the album. The synthy little bit at the intro of the song that melds seamlessly into the horns as they come in, is perfection. It tickles the part of my brain that runs solely on 90’s Nintendo nostalgia. Liz Facklemen’s vocal performance here is amazing and powerful. The contrast it provides against the angry screamy bits is definitely a pleasure. It also happens to be best example of aforementioned social commentary, as well. The song deals with the the experiences of women in the music scene that are horrifyingly all too common. It’s unfortunate when very small men get a minute amount of power; they use it to become predators. The song calls out this behavior and talks about how in the aftermath, the individual victims rarely have the power to dole out consequences. A sad reality. However, in vocalizing these experiences, what this song really does is give us, the music community, a choice to do something about it, moving forward. We don’t have to support known abusers. We don’t have to book them for shows or buy their tickets. And perhaps, if late at night these types of guys run into trouble in a parking lot, we can look the other way and pretend we didn’t see anything. That is after all the kind of culture abusers prefer and rely on. We can in fact choose to watch the legacy of abusers decompose. We just have chose to do it together. 

    Another song that really stuck with me is “Running Out of Time”. It is a slower paced reggae jam about how we often get so caught up in the monotony of life that it passes us by. I think the song heavily implies the question:  “Is it worth putting off the truly important things (whatever that means to you) to continue to grind though life’s busy work “crossing t s and dotting i s?”. In my mind, the thing that is truly great about the song is that the smooth tempo and chill beat serves up this Socratic wisdom with a matter of fact vibe. Rather than being a anxiety inducing hyper-fast ‘you better get off your ass and live before you die’ type hardcore song. Which I suppose would have also gotten the message across, albeit in a way that I believe would have been less impactful.   

    Last is the song “Misogyny”. At the risk of perhaps alienating some people; I am not a big hardcore fan. Let me explain before you get the pitchforks out. I don’t consider myself a hardcore fan because telling me something is hardcore will never inspire me to check it out solely for that reason. Now that being said, this is the kind of hardcore song I like. It’s got that social commentary that I am a fan of. The guitars are ripping and the cadence of the vocal performance right before it transitions to the second half of the song is absolutely sublime.  

    With “New Dead Ends”, The Best of the Worst have provided listeners with a robust and varied experience featuring an engineered blend of genres and sounds that only the veterans they are could have delivered. If you are a fan of Ska, Hardcore, or anything that sits between those two genres I think you should definitely give this album a listen. 

    If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—>Purchase New Dead Ends by The Best of the Worst digitally via Amazon Music