At this point, we’ve known it in our hearts for years – to be a fan of The Armed is to be a fan of dynamic itself. They’ve long made a habit of incinerating the lines between hardcore, pop, punk, jazz, and so much more, and that’s to say nothing of their semi-subversive approach to being a collective in general.
The ensemble has always been a lot, and for some it’s simply too much. These sentiments peaked somewhat with the surprisingly sweet Perfect Saviors, where older fans were surprised with the levels of pop and vulnerability, even after Ultrapop.
But the risk payed off, with Perfect Saviors ultimately bringing in thousands of new fans, most of whom have been counting the days till THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED is finally released. And now that it has, we’ve got to hand it to them – it’s The Armed’s best executed plot twist yet.
That being said, maybe a plot twist isn’t the best device for comparison. Without trying to sound like a complete ass kisser, one particular feeling we are sitting with at the end of listening to this album for the first time is that it just might please everyone when it comes to the fan base. On one hand, this is absolutely the logical next step in terms of elevating and refining the band’s most accessible and pop friendly ideas. But also, TFIHAENTBD sounds like it could have come directly after Ultrapop, or even Only Love, because it claws much of the rage of their earlier work back into the mix.
It shouldn’t surprised a single fan of The Armed that these seemingly distant aspect of the musical spectrum meet in the middle throughout the record, but what might is the fact that “Purity Drag,” and “Grace Obscure,” show us a damn near perfected ratio of abrasive, dissent filled screeds and densely detailed ear worms with zero integrity compromised.
Songs like “Sharp Teeth,” “I Steal What I Want,” and “Heathen” give levels of energy not dissimilar to the most anthemic moments of Perfect Saviors but with deeper, longer lasting hooks that stay with you after the record is over. In fact, “Heathen” deserves a special shoutout for a number of reasons, not the least of which would be Patrick Shiroishi’s saxophone leads towards the end. As it fades out, we found ourselves spacing out with the same awe we do to this day in the outro of “On Jupiter,” their closing opus for Only Love.
TFIHAENTBD is, objectively, a creature with larger, more imposing fangs than its predecessor, but it’s worth considering this was more or less always the goal, or at least the result of a successful experiment. From what we can tell, the two were always meant to coexist – a defining factor for The Armed is the speed with which they decimate one sonic goal while creating the path to another. They’re always pushing themselves, and with the question of “can we make pop?” already answered with Ultrapop and Perfect Saviors, TFIHAENTBD sees them use it as a tool to the best of their ability while continuing to draw from their chaos-with-a-heart-of-gold strengths. It feels vital, present, and somehow comforting in a world running a race to nowhere and still hopes that it wins.
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