We are revisiting some of our favourite records of the year

Everything is looking bleak. With every quick glance at social media, it’s not hard to feel like society is sinking into a black hole. Such is the central thesis of the new record from Water From Your Eyes Everyone’s Crushed. The Brooklyn based bands newest album and first for Matador Records, holds a certain amount of darkness in its heart but holds it all with a pretty good sense of humour. Just because things suck doesn’t mean we can’t party, right? The duo made up of Rachel Brown and Nate Amos tow the line between extremely serious and patently ridiculous and it all works. Throughout their frazzled, anarchic post punk razzle dazzle lies the beating heart of a generation. Too disillusioned with what has come before to be optimistic but smart enough to want to fight back and armed with the perfect amount of nudges and winks to make all the bullshit go down smoothly.

From albums opener “Structure” with its airy synths and Sparks-esque sense of curiosity to album closer and perfectly named “Buy My Product”, Water From Your Eyes balance glitchy keyboards, fractured drum beats, monotone vocals and disconnected guitars and make it all cohesive. This is a record you could put on at a party or be driving around playing in the car and the effect it will have on you will be dramatic. Context is key and depending on the state you’re in while listening, Everybody’s Crushed will hit you in different ways. The bass groove in “Out There” is immediately captivating. The perfect groove for the end of the world. Album namesake “Everybody’s Crushed” will keep your head bopping while also make you want to cry. Brown sings over another delicious bass line, “I’m in love with everything and everything hurts”, in the driest tone possible but it’s absolutely affecting. By the time the disjointed horns and percussion breakdown happen, you should be pretty invested.

It’s pretty surprising that Everybody’s Crushed is Water From Your Eyes sixth record. Brown and Amos are keeping things sounding and feeling pretty fresh here. The touchstones here may not be the most modern. Think Le Tigre, King Missile and Love Is All but with the duo’s personal perspectives keeping the proceedings feeling alive. Everything sucks and everybody’s crushed but when Brown sings on “Buy My Product, “Clap those hands/Buy my product/There are no happy endings”, you realize that maybe the happy ending in all of this is you get to enjoy listening to Water From Your Eyes whenever you please.

Pre-order Everyone’s Crushed by Water From Your Eyes HERE