‘Logos’ has been a long time coming for Selfish Things. Having spent the last eleven months dropping tracks that would eventually make it onto the LP, their debut album has been eagerly anticipated for months following the announcement. Now, it’s finally here – and it’s a thing of beauty.
‘Flood’, ‘Pride’, ‘Drained’, ‘Hole’ and ‘Blood’, the singles previously released, glimmer alongside their kin, together creating a constellation of sparkling melodies and meteoric choruses on this eleven-track album. From the catchy hooks of ‘Rowen’ to the pop punk sensibilities of ‘Crutch’, ‘Logos is intoxicating from the outset, made even more alluring by a number of guest appearances.
Fans of Underoath, for one, will be pleased to see Spencer Chamberlain’s vocals feature on ‘Torn’, a brooding, bass-heavy track that highlights the best qualities of both voices whilst bleeding beautifully into one another. You might also recognise Andy Leo of Crown The Empire on ‘Blood’ – a deeply personal song with a menacing undertone that’s representative of the emotional toil losing a loved one to illness can take. And then there’s ‘Drained’, featuring former Yellowcard vocalist William Ryan Key. The song is a very real take on relationships and how hard it can be to love someone.
‘Synaptic’ is a standout track, admired not only for Biro’s bold lyricism, but also his vocal versatility and the simple but very effective arrangement of the song. It’s laden with emotion and made even more poignant by the choir-like vocals of the bridge. Similarly, ‘Mind’ is a piano led manifesto of Biro’s unadulterated love for his wife that’s not only moving to listen to, but gives us a glimpse at a songwriter so eager to show us that there is light in the world, no matter how dark it might appear.
‘Youth’, the final song on the album and personal favourite of Biro, has a real DIY feel to it as his voice reverberates in the room it was recorded in. The absence of mixing on this track leaves it in an unaltered, raw and ultimately more honest form, which is really a reflection of the band itself – Selfish Things is, at its very core, honest. A quality born and nurtured throughout the songwriting process, enveloped in skilled musicianship and this beautiful, emotional vulnerability that really connects with the listener. Above all, Biro’s voice is unique, warm, and something you could happily listen to for hours on end.
At times, ‘Logos’ feels tender and intimate, at times it’s loud and angry, but it remains powerful throughout as Biro puts both the ugliness and the beauty of human nature, society, the world, and, ultimately, ourselves under a microscope.
RENETTE VAN DER MERWE