In my previous article I talked about the capacity that music has to make an emotional impact. While my review of Pharrell Williams’ G I R L emphasised the quality that music has to motivate its listeners and bring them (ahem, me) out of their heads, another iconic album that impacts me emotionally every time is Brand New’s The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. However, the two albums do this in completely different ways. While Pharrell is my go-to for happy feels, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is a great companion for days where I’d rather indulge my melancholy side. I’m not sure how exactly Brand New does it, but the band somehow manages to make music that falls comfortably into the category of rock, it’s also really emotionally stirring and sensitively put together. It’s no wonder that the band has been widely celebrated in the alternative scene. Lead singer Jesse Lacey talks openly about his own experience of depression, and how that fuels much of his best work. Perhaps it is the fact that each song is informed by authentic experience that results in a product in which so many listeners are able to find release. It is a well-known sentiment that art is what makes life worth living and that is what makes it essential. This is one of the albums that has carried me through some of my darker moments, offering solace in the realisation that sadness is part of the human experience. The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me creates a space where it’s okay to be angry, to be frustrated, to grapple with the existential questions that plague those of us prone to over-thinking. I am quite convinced that it isn’t possible to overcome an emotion before fully feeling it, and that it’s necessary for humans to create spaces in which it is possible to do so.
Another thing that really stands out to me about this album is the shape of each song. A good number of the songs on the album kick off with a really gentle vocal accompanied by subtle guitar riffs. The song will then develop into a much bigger sound, with the vocalist veering into the post-hardcore vocal sound that characterised the band members’ previous work. What strikes me about this is that Lacey attacks each vocal style with equal dexterity. The waxing and waning of each track has a really satisfying effect, taking the listener on an authentic journey every time they push play. In terms of the content of the album, I really enjoy Brand New’s brave approach to writing songs about contentious subjects. The album asks questions about belief, human nature and God in a way that is tempered with an appropriate measure of emotion and sensitivity, all wrapped up in a really unique and layered musicality. It’s a critique on religion and culture and a self-aware reflection all at once. Perhaps it is the combination of lyrics and musicality that engage my thinking along with the flawless execution that makes this album feel so good. Needless to say, this is an album I find myself returning to, and each time I discover a new reason to love it. Give it a listen, you might feel the same.
