Connecticut seven-piece The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die have recently been lumped in with the emo revival, alongside Modern Baseball, Into It. Over It. and other bands whose sound is more derivative of #realemo bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and American Football than what the masses generally think of as emo (Simple Plan, My Chemical Romance et al). The mischaracterization of emo has gotten so out of hand that some people (even some of my own Lab colleagues) simply use it as a synonym for indie rock. No! The general rule of thumb is, if a band has never referred to themselves as emo, you probably shouldn’t either. Where were we? On Always Foreign, their latest outing on Epitaph, TWIABPAIANLATD (TWIABPAIANLA for short) fuse the bittersweet chord progressions and lyrics typically found in emo with the expansiveness of post-rock ( = post-emo?) to great effect, and the record should be an instant cop for anyone with as much as a fleeting interest in both genres. Check the wall-of-sound climax accompanied by a very Jesse Lacey-esque shouted refrain on “Hilltopper.” “Infinite Steve” and “Marine Tigers” lurch slowly toward gorgeous crescendos replete with ethereal strings, while album highlight “Faker” couples a heavenly arpeggiated guitar arrangement straight out of the American Football playbook with lyrics that are disarmingly dry, down to earth and intimate, miles away from anything resembling post-rock. Other highlights: “Dillon and Her Son,” “The Future,” “I’ll Make Everything.” Indie-exclusive clear vinyl pressing housed in deluxe gatefold sleeve with printed insert, digital download included.

• indie-exclusive clear vinyl pressing
• gatefold sleeve
• printed insert
• digital download included
• limited edition, 1000 copies pressed
• music label: Epitaph 2017

reviewed by frau farbissina 10/2017