Album Review: Insignificant Other – “im so glad i feel this way about you!”
Posted: by The Editor
Just as quickly as queer pop group Insignificant Other announced their debut album, they delivered. With only a day’s-span in between the announcement and the drop, this spontaneity for I’m so glad i feel this way about you! only further amplifies who Insignificant Other are and how they want you to take them. The rambunctious trio are everything that defines impulsive, unrestrained, and emphatic. In fact, the record is the group’s debut full-length which only gives Insignificant Other more perogative to crank their energy and provide raging hooks with as much rowdy-rough fun as they can manage throughout the entire thing.
Formerly based out of Gainesville, Florida and now based in Alabama, the group stands apart with how much of their personalities and emotions translate over into their art. They aren’t afraid to write lyrics or topple over music with vocals that further replicate what it’s like to be a millennial in today’s society, dealing with anxieties and spiraling over-thinking that clouds our vision, minds, and judgement. Lead vocalist, Sim Morales, gets that message across loud-and-clear with their tangy voice that waxes and wanes, commanding every track.
I’m so glad i feel this way about you! is the most fun and relatable record to jumpstart summer, providing power-pop likeability with discussions ranging from watching Heathers to avoid doing something you’ll kick your own ass for later, to guessing one’s zodiac sign and justifying that as the reason why someone is fair-weathered (“and my friends say it’s my fault for falling for someone born in late January.”) There’s just something endlessly refreshing and gratifying to listen to a record that doesn’t strive for faux-deep lyricism or poetic personification. It’s direct. It’s bold. It’s brash, and it does nothing to stray from displaying that proudly throughout each and every track.
But, straying from the more cleverly-construed lyrical content doesn’t mean that Insignificant Other can’t provide golden nuggets among the straight-forward themes. For example, the poppiest song on the record, “Freya,” bolsters out heavy-hitting words like “Isn’t one heart heavy enough? I for one wish I couldn’t feel so much –from baby teeth to my bad dreams to my first date to my worst heartbreak” that proves writing doesn’t have to be overly-indulgent to create a bridge between artist and listener. “Freya” also wields itself to being a highlight of the record, sonically, with it’s infectious energy and glittering synths that give a slicker feel to the record than the tracks surrounding it.
Even in personal favorite, “antbf,” the group comes across as incredibly endearing and lovable with the personability of its lyrics. Atop groovy tones, this head-bopping tune chronicles exactly what it feels like to be a lonely and lost millennial that wishes they could numb their pain but being too paranoid and afraid of change to follow-through. The song continues on to describe that while everyone’s at parties, they’re alone in their house and watching America’s Next Top Model marathons, which is something, I, personally did, myself, the first-year off at college, finishing 6 seasons in two months time.
“Brushes,” though, is the monstrous power-house of the album which stretches itself a little further in terms of showcasing Insignificant Others’ talents. It’s loud and noisy with live-wire guitars and thrashing drums as Morales shoves more words into the rapid-fire chorus than one thought possible. It’s hard not to imagine how hard this would go-over in a live-setting, the reverb thrumming through one’s entire body. It earns its place as a track that deserves to sit atop the Indie-Pop trio’s discography.
For a debut LP, i‘m so glad i feel this way about you! is an impressive role-out. Insignificant Other is simultaneously proving their credibility throughout their scene while charging through their sound in the most charming of calibers. As the album artwork displays a celebratory cake, it almost seems like it could symbolize the group as a whole – a confetti cake explosion of fun and surprise that’ll keep Insignificant Other on the tip of one’s tongue for as long as they continue to churn out solid releases that match the zeal of this release.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
You can pre-order the record through Counter Intuitive here or buy it digitally through Bandcamp here.
Follow Insignificant Other on social media:
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
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Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
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