EP Review: ‘Everything Ends’ by avoid.
‘Everything Ends’ EP Art by avoid.
Artist: avoid.
Genre: Emotional Music, Spoken Word, Post-hardcore, Melodic Hardcore, Post-rock
Label: Unsigned
Reviewed Music: ‘Everything Ends’ (EP, 2018) 6 Tracks (19 minutes, 16 seconds)
"Father’s Eyes" (4:10)
"Mercy" (2:51)
"Parasite" (2:28)
"Home" (4:07)
"Lullaby" (2:04)
"Regret" (3:35)
FFO:
Review of ‘Everything Ends’ (EP, 2018) by avoid.
avoid. is not your typical band with which you gleefully chant along to on any pop-rock radio station in the car, but rather a group of familiar friends with whom you pour the inner workings of your heart out to in a private gathering. Not that they can’t be both, of course - avoid.'s sound is what the collected whispers from a troubled past meshed with contrasting and frenzied vocals would produce. The transparent honesty and aches embedded in the screams can be felt directly within the human core of emotion. The rhythmic intensity with minimal reprieve that avoid. dictates through the steady strum of guitar and drums forces the listener to devote full attention to every chanted and heartfelt word. This style may have been done before, but avoid.’s gut-punching din is unique to their genre. Honestly, it feels like a bleeding heart wearing its emotions on a sleeve, but we dig every second of it.
From the start, "Father’s Eyes", provides an immediate bitter taste and foreshadowing of resentment as it seeps through Nick Booth's gritty vocals. One can tell the passion in these words are true and the voice stems from a life's experiences, ultimately shaping and formulating the lyrics.
"Does a man reflect a bloodline?
Am I bound by that fate?
Am I designed to be a replica of an image that I hate? "- excerpt from “Father’s Eyes”
The high emotion and torment pulsing through "Mercy" immediately commands the attention of the listener with potent lines such as, "call me a cancer", "..all of love is a fucking lie", and "Let repentance speak, Let the body bleed", woven throughout for a sole purpose of audibly dictating the internal disdain - a reactionary expression of hatred, one might say. Nonetheless, the portrayal shines through to bring us into the eyes of the victim, justifying their pain. Referencing the focus of this pain as a "Parasite" truly showcases the battle of a mind when coming to a resolution with the past. These few minutes on the album allow our minds to wander back to times when we struggled to rationalize ourselves, to comprehend the pain in the world around us, to make peace with it all... The lyrics and the music synchronize to a moment of soothing pause where we can drift away....then once again surging into the next track, "Home".
When the ink runs out, what am I good for?
Anything at all?
Am I meaningless without this?- excerpt from “Home”
In "Home", we find an open battle of self regret and self worth, highlighted by the staple of Nick's pained vocals, wrestling with the acceptance of a destined fate until the concluding utterance that "this is home". As the second longest track on the album the heartache abounds, but there is a vivid understanding of context we gain from within it. "Lullaby" tactfully transitions the perspective from our rage to what we now recognize as a mother figure in this battle, presenting a soft apology, begging for a last moment to be "your mother for a breath". With the panel of emotions on display at this moment, but we are left devoid of a final resolution between the figures in this story - Do we feel guilt? Do we feel remorse? The seamless transition from "Lullaby" into "Regret" allows a moment to ponder. This moment is perfectly crafted, tactfully escalating the developed rage and confusion from within to a head:
“A vacant feeling. side to side inside my head I’ve grown numb to the abuse
I used to believe in God
But that coward should’ve taken me before he took the the ones I love”- excerpt from “Regret”
Still comprehending what we just experienced to this point, "Regret" concludes with an echoed “There is nothing” to terminate the album - a haunting, yet fitting completion to this story from the introspective approach of avoid.
There were certain moments throughout this album where it felt as though the only thing missing was a harmonizing voice layered over the fevered pitch of Nick’s restless vocals to assist in building the crescendo of momentum. Upon coming to understand the nuances of avoid.'s previous work, we recognized that this in fact was completely unnecessary. That ‘missing piece’ we thought belonged, exists merely as a stylistic choice, leaving the artwork open ended to provide the listener a chance to fully invest themselves into the adventure of this EP. Sorting back through their collection of releases, the brutal honesty and passion has remained consistent since early 2015 and we feel that ‘Everything Ends’ is a perfect concluding achievement of style and sound, and aptly named album for avoid. to bid farewell with.
Alas, the journey of avoid. has reached it’s finale. After 4 short years. September 8th, as per their facebook, will be the FINAL show, featuring the likes of Kyack Jones, Vitamin K, Underdog Story, Manhattan Blockade, Stepping Stones, and Lakenheath, to open. This will be the last gasp of of a subtle, but yet storied career for “Five people trying to make the most honest music possible.” Although we at Dear Untitled have only had the brief pleasure of knowing avoid., our bond with their guttural emotions and steady crescendo of potent storytelling makes it feel as though we are losing a friend. May their music live on strong in the hearts of fans and wayward adventurers alike.
avoid. , thanks for the ride - You will be dearly missed. <3 - NB
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