Can't Swim - Fail You Again Album Review
Growing up, my generation of music was entirely based on alternative rock. I'm talking Taking Back Sunday, Blink 182, New Found Glory, Rufio, Saosin, As Cities Burn etc. Those bands were some of my first CD's that I would force my mom to jam out in the car to while she was taking me to school. There was something about that music generation that just made the musical notes hit you so hard in the gut, driving every emotion come to light. The lyrics meant something, and maybe it was because we were all young and living our care-free lives to the fullest. I also believe it was because it took place prior to the new generation of immense technology upgrades and lack thereof social interaction and empathy.
I hadn't heard an alternative rock band that really took me away in a long time, and I began to lose hope in a way while I continuously reminisced about the good old days. This was until I heard Can't Swim for the first time. I was lucky enough to have a friend introduce me to the band after mutual swappings of our most recent best discoveries. I listened to that same song, "Your Clothes" over and over again that day. It then carried on through to the following day, which is when I knew, this was it and exactly what I was looking for. I began looking into more of their music, which is when I discovered their record, Fail You Again.
The album starts out with What's Your Big Idea?, which I think introduces this band in the best form. They capture you by putting you straight into the deep end, it's heavy, and it hits you straight on when you aren't expecting it to do so. If you need to get pumped up, you are inevitably going to with this one as their lyrics "You're living your whole life asleep man" and "Time waits for no one" preaches the message behind this single. Stop waiting, and start doing. The meaning of this, alongside the catchy chorus and heavy climax, you can't help but feel ready to take on the world.
The next song is We Won't Sleep, which reminds me heavily of The Almost back in the day. I would say this is between the tone and chorus, and as a fan of The Almost, I'm totally into it. "I won't give up, I won't fall", picks you right up if you're having a difficult day and need that reminder to just stay strong. Then, the song $50,000,000 comes on and what I find the most intriguing about this one is by far the lyrics. I would say they are trying to send a message regarding financial comfortability and the selfish desire in today's society of wanting more, even if we have more than enough. "How much will you sacrifice?", which I can only put down to how much of you will you give yourself away just to become rich. "Friend" which follows is another lyrically brilliant song, which hits home when it comes to losing a friend emotionally. For whatever reason, whether it was conflict or even addiction, I felt this song striked me as a person who has lost friends themselves due to emotionally impacting situations. As it ends with, "Tell me exactly what I want to hear, tell me it’s over and done with, and we’ll sit back and laugh, to put it all in the past. And I want him back", you're left with your own thoughts and heaviness inside.
The rest of this album is pure brilliance, between "Quitting" which lyrics seem to resemble the end of a relationship, as the song completes it's instantly one of my top favorites from this record. Another favorite on this record is definitely "Stranger", which talks again about losing a loved one who is on a run from their own self. When I talked previously about the music that would hit you so hard in the gut, this song made all emotions come to light. Alongside their unbelievable musical talent, there is no denying their emotionally investing lyrical movement.
Track ten, "Show Me", has more of a pop-punk feel and astonishingly catchy. This reminds me more of the New Found Glory, Rufio, with a little hint of A Day To Remember. "Mollys Desk" and "All The Moves We Make Are In The Dark" I would say are probably my top two favorites of the entire record. They are heavy, they hype you up and they are exactly what you look for when you're searching for in an alternative rock band. "Am I alive? I almost feel it. Riding the waves of all my demons, I’ll drift away" (Chorus in Mollys Desk), again hitting you with the prominent lyrics influencing you only to look further within yourself. "All The Moves We Make Are In The Dark" reminds me of a mix of As Cities Burn, and A Day To Remember. Frankly, any band that reminds of As Cities Burn would promptly become a favorite.
This record is better than anything I could even possibly describe into words, and that says enough for itself. It's hard to not want to keep them entirely for yourself when you find such a hidden gem as these guys, however, I can't deny the fact that they deserve every ounce of light as they can get. If you haven't heard them yet, we're here to say you're welcome!