Review
By Surprise
Mountain Smashers

Although the Indie-Emo genre has been getting over-saturated with new artists lately, there are a few that wear the title suitably; By Surprise are one of them. They take the sound and mend it into something that’s a little more adventurous, anthemic, and sometimes even quirky. By Surprise’s debut full-length, Mountain Smashers, gives us a bird’s eye view of a band with lots of potential.

The band introduces the album with the flickering riff-ridden opener, “Books by Thoreau.” The resounding guitar work stays consistent as it’s backed by a chorale that appropriately sounds as if they’re singing from the peak of a mountain. Then, like a one-two punch, we’re taken into “Realometer.” The gang-vocals follow through from the last track, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite traits in By Surprise’s songs. However, the main highlight would be the bridge where Pat Gartland and Rob Wilcox blend their guitar harmonies beautifully. Unlike the last two tracks, “Mostly Harmless” is much more driven by the rhythm section while Gartland takes the vocal lead—though he doesn’t do the best job. While it starts out a bit defeating with lyrics like “I’ll never be like the people who inspire me,” they close out the track with a little of that quirk I was telling about by singing, “artichokes with lettuce; corn on the cob with roses.”

Lyrics may not be the band’s strong point as the next song, “Last Chance to See,” would suggest. The only lyrics in the song are, “I’m going to read my favorite book again, and I’m going to see the things I didn’t back then.” However, it’s the simplistic and frank lyrics that kind of add to the band’s charm. It’s nice not having to take a band so seriously. Next up is “Photoshoot”—one of my favorite tracks on the album. It’s the most demanding track on the record, but it’s over before anyone can fully appreciate it—clocking in at 40 seconds.

The midway point takes us through “Fountain Splashers.” This gentle solo number serves as a sort of interlude before the gang-vocals kick back in with “$600 Exorcism.” It’s one of the weaker tracks on the album. It keeps a constant bouncing pace throughout most of the song until the bridge where it experiences an unusual tempo change. Fortunately, they counter the forgettable “$600 Exorcism” with the more up-tempo and diverse song, “So Long and Thanks For All The Sharkjaws.” The Indie-Emo influences probably shine through the most on this track, while still maintaining the band’s own character. This leads us into the blunt, “Daggermouth is Playing at my House.” It starts off soft—recounting the time that—SURPRISE—Daggermouth played a house. By the second half, it’s become a rowdy sing-along. After the speedy track, “Hanging Out With Wendy in Sulik Island,” we come to the album’s closer, “Direct Loans.” It’s different from the rest of the album. First it’s a quiet, but upbeat number. Then, at a little past the halfway mark, it takes a darker undertone and the band rocks out the rest of the record while Gartland shouts his heart out. Although it’s unlike the rest tracks, it still fits within the context of the album.

Mountain Smashers is a terrific full-length that shows promise of more great songwriting from By Surprise to come. Not to mention potential to get even better. While the vocals may not be the best at times, my only real complaint is that I feel like I need my own mountain top to sing along from, and I don’t have one.