Review by Shannon Shumaker
I’m not going to lie, I went into listening to Rescuer’s newest album, Anxiety Answering not expecting much. It’s not that I don’t like Rescuer, but it’s mostly because I’ve been listening to a lot of bands that sound similar to them lately, such as La Dispute and Being as an Ocean, and I half-expected this album to just be another one to add to list of similar sounding post-hardcore records that have come out this year. That being said, Anxiety Answering sounds nothing like any of those bands, and I was very pleasantly surprised by this well put together and thankfully different sounding album.
The first thing that really stood out about Anxiety Answering to me were the clean guitar hooks throughout the otherwise loud and aggressive sounding album, making for a really beautiful contrast, especially with JP Marra’s rough and emotional vocals. “Out of Focus,” the first single on the album, really encompasses this unique sound that Rescuer has captured with Anxiety Answering. The track starts with a clean, simple and upbeat guitar part, already setting it apart from the first two songs on the album, and when the rest of the band comes in a few seconds later, I’m sold. JP’s vocals contrast with the rest of the band in a way that normally would sound our of place if it were any other band attempting it, but they manage to pull it off perfectly, and as the track goes on, it only gets better, really setting my hopes high for this album. Then, “Out of Focus” fades out and into the fast paced beginning of the next couple of tracks, “Learning, Curved” and “Relief” and I’m blown away. The clean guitar hooks throughout these two tracks (and the rest of the album) really manage to pull the listener in and Marra’s vocals and lyrics force you to stay, especially at the end of “Relief” when the music stops and his screams resonate with an emotional, “Everyone said it would be different.”
The best part about Anxiety Answering is easily the album’s diversity. Somehow, Rescuer has managed to find a way to flow from one song to another (from a fast-paced and energetic track to a slow and clean interlude) without any of them sounding out of place. Sometimes, I find that bands with vocal styles similar to Rescuer’s seem to fall flat – they’re one-dimensional and easy to get tired of after twelve tracks that all seem to sound the same. The sound that Rescuer has captured with Anxiety Answering, however, is both captivating and unique, and kept me listening until the final track on the album, then had me pressing play all over again.
Rating: 4.5/5
Listen to “Out of Focus”