Summery and serene, Blaenavon delivers a powerful punch of an album complete with themes of love, loss, and death. They have previously released music in the form of several EP’s and singles, all of which were gearing up for their debut album. With this being said, the release felt like a small secret with not much fanfare. This is rather surprising, as the contents of That’s Your Lot are fascinating and new, all while maintaining a sound that is almost made for radio in the best way possible.
With that being said, I’d like to dive into why this album contains some of the best production I’ve heard in a long time. The first 6 tracks are what you’d expect on an indie rock album, mostly ranging around 3 to 3 and a half minutes with varying themes of love, loss, and death. Some of their best and brightest off the album shine through this range of songs and have such depth of replay value that they hit my most listened to artist/album this past week. The last 7 through 12 tracks are unexpected style changes that vary in length from 4 to 7 minutes long. These are obviously not as brief but contain intertwined intricacies of instrumentation and lyricism.
Songs like “Orthodox Man” are reminiscent of the highs and lows found in any summer/spring anthem combined with vocals that cover the all too real desperation of love and how the vices of the emotion can cause you to throw yourself at the feet of your lover. Rather than just covering the generalized emotion of love, Blaenavon looks at the darker parts of life and their influence on relationships and existence.
That’s Your Lot is Blaenavon’s debut album, and although I’m still digesting this track list, I can only wonder what’s in store for them in the future. What I can say is that I’m absolutely hooked, and can definitely see this band dominating alternative charts in time to come.
Recommended If You Like: Autoheart, Blossoms, Sundara Karma
Recommended Tracks: 3 (Orthodox Man), 4 (My Bark is Your Bite), 5 (Lonely Side)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Savannah Adams on 04/18/2017