‘I Am Not Your Fault’, itoldyouiwouldeatyou’s follow-up to last year’s promising ‘Don’t Cheer Up’ EP, touches on the intricacies of math-pop and the expansive beauty of their contemporaries, all the while nodding towards the genre’s pioneers. Be it the TTNG comparisons on the brilliant opener ‘Off Brand’ or the mesmerising The World Is A Beautiful Place… leanings on ‘All That Noise’, the ever-expanding collective (eight members according to the most recent count) have created something truly exceptional.
The horn section on the fully instrumental ‘Less Now’ clearly indicates their progression, most notably defined on lead track ‘Get Out Of Bed’. It’s a considerable leap forward from their earlier material, yet one that retains just enough of their raw nature to both capture and reinvent the style’s magic. Each track is underpinned by often brooding lyrics, simultaneously self-destructive and freeing. By the time ‘Letters’ repeats the record’s title with a cutting self-flagellation, vocalist Joey has expertly presented his emotional instability, complete with the introspective rallying cry of ‘Get Out Of Bed’. The sheer volume of instrumentalists accompanying his outpouring gives ‘I Am Not Your Fault’ an unparalleled layered texture.
Emerging as the UK’s underground emo frontrunners, ‘I Am Not Your Fault’ creates an ample playing field; one that celebrates and perfectly represents musical self-reflection. In just five tracks, itoldyouiwouldeatyou not only travel through emo history, but cement themselves as true innovators.
BEN TIPPLE