by sierra romano
Hailing from Chicago, the pop-punk band Belmont have just released their newest album Aftermath. This 12-track record is full of songs that will evoke almost every emotion, there is truly something for everyone. Lyrically, the album is very reflective and almost brings you into another world. With feelings of nostalgia, self-deprecation, and internal conflict, Aftermath is definitely an album everyone should check out.
The album opens with a very soft keyboard over some distorted vocals and immediately you are transported to another world. As soon as the beat drops in “Fully Sent” it sets a clear tone for the rest of the record. This first track is also very reflective with lyrics such as, “I’ll never spend my life wasting all that time again” and “Looking back at all the times I was useless.” The track concludes with the same sounds from the beginning in a perfect full circle moment.
The next two songs also go hand in hand with this first track. “Parasitic” is a very visual song and it also feels so compressing. “I spend my time / Digging through my mind / Feeling so confined / It’s like the walls are closing in.” These lyrics are a representation of how your thoughts can be destructive to your own productivity. Additionally, this song is also saying how your mind can be a parasite to the rest of your body. Track 3, which was also released with a fun animated music video, is very upbeat but lyrically darker. Continuing with the visual imagery of “Parasitic,” “Bowser’s Castle” talks about pushing people away. The chorus of this song is particularly important with the lyrics “Won’t need your help / Don’t worry I can sink or swim no doubt.” Sonically, the heavier guitars in tracks 2 and 3 also drive home the idea of being weighed down by your own thoughts.
Aftermath is a pop-punk album at its roots, however there are a few songs that do break the boundaries of a traditional pop-punk record. For example, “Pain Now” opens with a slower guitar and might lead you to think this song is going in a new direction. The beat picks up with the chorus and then the first verse is a more spoken/rap section. This song also gives off a conflicting vibe with all of the changes in its tempo and it ends with a slower version of the chorus. Lyrically, “Pain Now” talks about feeling weighed down by your thoughts and emotions. Another song that makes you question if it belongs on this record is “Country Girl.” Appearing right in the middle, it can be seen almost as an interlude or a break from the rest of the album. This song is very narrative and has a nostalgic feeling.
Circling back to the themes of the album, one of my favorite songs is “4am // Disappear.” This song is the slowest and arguably the saddest on the record. “It took a lot of work to be standing here / I went through lots of pain to be very clear” are the repeated reflective lyrics in the chorus. It is an extremely honest song and the bridge hits so hard with the lyrics “All my life I just tried to put it off / I never shook it off.” This song is also the perfect segue into the rest the album. Songs like “Never Found” and “Guilt Trip” both talk about the idea of drowning in your own thoughts and how it is important to express your emotions and not bottle them up.
Track 11 is single “What I Lack” and it was released with a high energy and colorful music video that perfectly ties together the entire record. The album closes with “Advanced Darkness,” a pretty uplifting track with a reminder to live life to the fullest, and some of the most important lyrics on the whole record, “try to focus on better days.”
You can now stream Aftermath everywhere music is available, and you can also catch Belmont on tour for the entire month of March!