Seasons in Verse is the debut full-length from Connecticut's My Heart to Joy. The band's first long player is the follow-up to the band's most recent EP, last years Virgins Sails. Seasons in Verse sees My Heart to Joy continuing to distance themselves from their more aggressive infancy and developing their songwriting talents towards intricate and complex indie rock.
Lead off track "Time Spent Breathing" sets things in motion with a two minute instrumental. The guitars bridge the gap between Explosions in the Sky and Small Brown Bike; meanwhile the rhythm section supplies a solid building pace, quickening as the song draws to a close. "Empty Homes" immediately follows with its quirky guitar noodling - think Fugazi or Minus the Bear (minus all the finger-tapping). Shouted vocals are sporadically placed throughout, never in a direct verse-chorus-verse structure though. Vocally, I am reminded of In Pieces' vocalist Scott Gibson - which is ironic as they were also from Connecticut. It's a shouted spoken yell - if that makes sense of all - and there is a slight roughness in the delivery, but for the most part its fairly straightforward.
As the album moves from track to track the band continues to meld post-hardcore, indie rock, and melodic punk influences into a single sound. The title-track combines equal parts The Get Up Kids and Braid. "Old Capitals" deviates from the norm with a very down-tempo middle section that is eventually accented by some stellar post-rock-esque guitar noodling.
And while the band does demonstrate are more subdued approach in their songwriting, there are still those hints and flourishes of the band's early screamo influences. "Giving My Hands Away" is a prime example of this. Additionally, "Thirstly Corner of the Forest" is an upbeat rock piece when compared to the bulk of the material of Seasons in Verse.
The album also includes a cover of Guided by Voices' "Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory." It's an interesting choice that highlights one of the band's less obvious influences, one not discernible on first listen. I've never been a huge GBV fan
but they've adapted the song quite well and its fits their arsenal.
My Heart to Joy has shown a lot of improvement since their last EP. They've continued to refine their sound and find their own niche within the world of music. There are still a few rough edges that need to be smoothed out - a bit more variation in the songs. With a few more upbeat/faster-paced tunes, it would improve the album's flow greatly. Seasons in Verse is definitely an album to check out if you're looking for music along the lines of At the Drive In, Small Brown Bike, or Texas is the Reason.
