Two things--first, grad school is hard. and takes way too much time. I was not prepared...
Second, some recent reflecting has reaffirmed the nonnegotiable place music has in my life, and even more critically, in the ways we communicate with one another to provide as sense of meaning to our existence. It's been a long-ass time since I posted anything, but I think it's high time I get in a routine, 'cause dammit, with the world descending into chaos, the only things that are gonna get us through it are music and dank mf memes.
GodDAMN do I love this motherfucking band. Absolutely, hands down, one of the greatest artists I’ve had the immense privilege of falling in love with.
This record is poetry. It’s wisdom incarnate. It’s ethereal. It’s beyond our world. I never would have guessed love to be the theme of a Bring Me The Horizon album. Not heartbreak, not love as a weapon--genuine, hopeful, redeeming, LOVE. It’s so fucking pure, I don’t even know what to do with myself. I’m at a loss, but in the best possible way.
(i apologize if you feel something)
To get the ball rolling, let me just start with the intro track -- chills. Literal chills. Like a narrator reading a prologue, the first track off the album is teeing you up to be blown the absolute fuck away by an interactive story that unfolds throughout the course of the record. When you listen to this song with bass-heavy headphones, you’ll feel a warm sort of echo in your gut, but a kind of cool breeze flowing around your head. It’s a sensual experience, and it heightens every one of your senses to make the rest of the album that much more accessible.
The vocals carry a casual psychedelic presence, like a chorus accompanying the telling of a greek tragedy. I feel like BMTH has always done a phenomenal job with their opening tracks, but this really does take it to a different level.
(MANTRA)
The final note of the intro rises to greet the coming of the second track, and it’s time to buckle up. Ugh, pure perfection. This track is setting the stage for what I believe to be a genuine coming-of-age story. We see the danger of insincere words and ridding one’s ability to empathize with others. My analysis of the music video (also uploaded to the site) takes a brief yet critical look at the lyrics to illustrate the character of the charismatic cultist.
(nihilist blues)
And just like that, somehow I’ve been transported to a German rave in 3 seconds flat. Side note, the definition of “nihilist” is as follows: a person who believes that life is meaningless and rejects all religious and moral principles. Now, compared with the shit-show we were just given with “MANTRA,” I think it’s fair to say that there’s a blatant and intended contrast with these two tracks, and that they’re perhaps meant to show the dangers of being too far off on either side. You can’t be a zealot, because you lack personal thought and agency under the guise of “enlightenment,” but you can’t be a nihilist either, because then you’re still left being the unempathetic asshole that doesn’t give two shits about your community. It’s a balance, darlings.
Diving deeper into the intentionality of this placement, I can’t help but feel like there’s an actual story unfolding with the tracks. Not in the sense that it’s a rock opera, as there aren’t any concrete central characters and/or plots to follow, but it’s like there’s an unspoken protagonist, perhaps in all of us, who is brought into the story by a particular track based on their personal experiences. It’s an interactive record where we ourselves are guided through how to function as empathetic people in a morally fucked world.
(in the dark)
There’s a very deliberate pace to this track, almost like a mantra (lol) that one repeats to one’s self as a means of steadying their mind or heart. There’s considerable pain, and a bit of spite, but no sense of vengeance or vehemence. While there’s a definite narrator in the track, along with a direct target with his condemning remarks, the focus is almost redirected towards a more fulfilling path. The theme is absolutely centered on the pain this person caused, but the tempo and cadence of Sykes’ voice feels a bit removed, a bit more peaceful. Not that the wounds aren’t still there, but that this act of catharsis fuels a rising action, not a sinking fall.
I think a great visualization of this idea are the lyrics, “don’t swear to god, he never asked you // it’s not his heart you drove a knife through // it’s not his world you turned inside out // not his tears still rolling down // Jesus Christ you’re so damn cold // don’t you know you’ve lost control // forget about the things you think I know // no secrets you can’t keep me in the dark.” Again, while the majority of the theme centers around pain, it all leads up to a reclamation of dignity, of spirit, of one’s own leave. Of an expectation that the narrator/protagonist will achieve something greater, something beyond what they have been dealt thus far.
“I’m not looking for salvation, just a little faith in anyone or anything”
(wonderful life)
We get a random shift to a scientific mentality, but we’re still on that “what’s the point” vibe. The narrator is busy searching for relevance and meaning in our day-to-day lives, and the dialogue at the beginning helps emphasize the idea that we (as the listener) are on a personal quest right now. The same way the album itself is on a journey, it’s like we’re actually brought into the conversation and consequently (and perhaps unintentionally) forced to reckon with ourselves and our own questions/fears.
The sound and lyrics sound almost nostalgic? But in a tangibly hopeless kind of way. The line, “alone getting high on a Saturday night // I’m on the edge of a knife // nobody cares if I’m dead or alive // oh, what a wonderful life” is deliciously bitter in its resignation. In some ways feels like the protagonist wishes he didn’t see the world as he does now, and that he could be blissfully unaware like the cultist in “MANTRA.” At the same time, he can’t bring himself to intentionally occupy that space of willful ignorance. That unfounded allegiance to a frame of mind that, by its own constructs, does more harm than good.
I can’t help but feel like there’s a degree of narcissism both in the cultist and in the nihilist. Both are adamantly convinced that their way is the only way, and the sheer violence of their convictions does more to feed their own egos of being “right” than actually helping and/or caring for a community.
(ouch)
One word--OUUUUUUUCH.
I love how seemingly effortless it is for BMTH to weave old lyrics and/or concepts from previous albums into their new work. I want to eventually dedicate a post to all the times they either repeat lyrics or repurpose them in a new and inventive way.
This track in particular revisits “Follow You” from That’s The Spirit, which had the lines “so you can drag me through hell // if it meant I could hold your hand // I will follow you // ‘cause I’m under your spell // and you can throw me to the flames // I will follow you, I will follow you.” This track on amo similarly has the lines, “I know I said I was under your spell // but this hex is on another level” and, most iconic, “I know I said you could drag me through hell // but I hoped you wouldn’t fuck the devil.”
GodDAMN. You tell her, Sykes.
(medicine)
I don’t care what anyone says, this song is solid gold. Not just for the melody, not only for the theme, but notably for the delivery. Here you have Sykes beautifully vocalizing how a clearly manipulative and/or toxic individual has done him (and presumably others) wrong, and he subsequently demonstrates how this person is about to receive a “taste of [their] own medicine,” but he’s not vindictive about it. He’s calm, and in his calmness, there is strength and virtuous resolve.
It’s mature, plain and simple. It’s acknowledging that the person is wrong, refusing to be on the receiving end of the wrong-ness any longer, but not dishing it out for the pure pleasure of causing harm. He apologizes for the pain his actions will undoubtedly cause, but in the interest of his own health and sanity, it must be done.
(sugar honey ice & tea)
This song is just fun to lose your shit to.
I appreciate the lines, “so now don’t rock the boat // don’t calm the storm // god already gave you his answer,”
“It’s all messed up // only one thing I know for sure // we’re so full of S H I T”
“You can tell the Messiah his pants are on fire” -- Bruh. So simple, so childish, yet so emotionally rewarding. I can’t really place why, but this track just makes me so damn happy.
Lastly --
That is all.
(why you gotta kick me when I’m down?)
Here we have what feels very much like a personal confession and an authority figure chastising the fuck out of its audience. I’m not sure exactly who this message is directed towards, but I feel like I just sat through a lecture with my parents telling me, “we’re not mad, we’re just disappointed.” Like, what the fuck?
The bridge between the final two choruses just radiates this energy or mood that is so identifiable.
(fresh bruises)
Not going to lie, I think my favorite thing about this track is that I know what song comes up next, but I also don’t want to be disrespectful to whatever vibe this track is going for…
I’m also a bit confused between the contrast of the two lyrics -- “don’t you try to fuck with me // don’t you hide your love.” Do we have someone who’s trying to hold back feelings for a person that clearly cares for them? Whatever the case, I’d be lying if I said I don’t sometimes do some weird white girl dance moves when I’m cleaning the house to this song. #NoShame
(mother tongue)
FINALLY -- WE ARRIVE AT MY FAVORITE FUCKING TRACK OFF THIS BRILLIANT GODDAMN ALBUM.
Words cannot even begin to describe how much of a downright masterpiece this song is, but goddammit, I’m gonna try. If you haven’t heard this song yet, let me go ahead and warn you that it’s ADDICTIVE. It’s so damn catchy, and it’s gotta be the purest most wholesome track this band has ever recorded. I can’t even. It’s too perfect.
Circling back to my opening statement in this post, I just about lost my shit the first time the chorus played. It took me a few rewinds, but I heard the first line: “so don’t say you love me--fala amo.” And that’s when it hit me -- the album, this era, everything -- It’s love. Spreading love, embracing love. Giving, accepting, feeling love. Loving apologetically.
Para a gente quem não fala no portuguese, “fala amo” in this context roughly translates to “speak love.” Not “say I love you,” not “say the word love.” Here, Sykes is asking us to convey and express love in our most natural and native way. This line is asking us, quite plainly, to just fucking love. #shook
Language is important here. First, let’s break down what language is.
In short, it’s any medium or method of communication that is interpreted by others to convey ideas and sentiments. It is characterized by shared doxa (or truth), experiences, realities and of course, “simple” identifying markers (like words, symbols, etc.).
When someone says, “I love you,” it’s genuinely unclear what they mean unless you first have an understanding of that person’s individual contexts, as well as the situational context. Similarly, two people in love saying, “I love you,” to one another is a mutual expression of affection, but each of them will understand ‘love’ differently. Some people take it as a declaration of platonic friendship, some mean it under a possessive context, others are indiscriminately with their affections, and genuinely care for multiple people at the same level but in different ways.
The point I’m trying to get at is that, despite our best efforts, most of us spend our lives in constant miscommunication with one another. Your understanding of “sad” is going to be different from every other person around you if you simply rely on the word “sad’ to convey your ideas or sentiments.
All of us are connected beyond the words we speak. What we feel inside rarely makes its way to the surface in a manner that’s in any way legible to outsiders. Even when people “understand” us, they’re operating based on their interpretation of the words and actions we’ve elected (based on common social doctrine) to use.
In the context of the song, however, the narrator uses the chorus (“so don’t say you love me, fala amo // just let your heart speak up and I’ll know // no amount of words could ever find a way to make sense of this // so I wanna hear your mother tongue”) to tell the object of his affection, “don’t say the words, ‘I love you,’ speak love to me -- express your feelings in the most authentic-to-you way, however that manifests.”
Another interesting flip-side of the first line of the chorus is that, by naming the record “amo,” the album itself becomes an embodiment of love. It’s a message of authentic affection that’s been given to all of us. As music lovers, we share a very unique language comprised of lyrics, rhythms, tears, bands, vocals, cries of agony, unfiltered admiration, euphoria, vinyl, car stereos, concerts, fanfic…
We’ve developed a way of communicating the powerful enigmas within ourselves with a full mind/body experience. We feel music as powerfully as we do our personal emotions, and more importantly, it’s a force that is able to touch others in ways that words can’t.
Another example of this force at work is the bridge where Sykes steps back from his dialogue with the object of his affection, and has that conversation with the audience, “I think the best way to explain it’s like // oh-oh oh-oh // yeah, kind of like that, but a little more // oh-oh oh-ooooh.” Here, very plainly, he’s demonstrating how whatever ideas or feelings he’s trying to convey can be communicated through music. The varied vocals communicate specific things (in Sykes’ mind), and I think more critically, they have different feels to them.
He’s showing us how easy and commonplace it is for us to identify these sentiments in music, and similarly telling us that this is how we need to communicate with one another.
In a nutshell, this song is downright beautiful. Like, that was fucking romantic. That’s goals af. *confused* Who sings this, again? Also, can we acknowledge how amazing Sykes’ vocals are here? I swear, I’m falling in love with this man all over again. After everything that man has gone through, this track is both the last thing I expected from him and also the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened.
(heavy metal)
I laughed my ass off the first time I listened to this track all the way through. Sykes really fucking went there, y’all. Here’s a few notable lyrics, and I’ll leave the rest up to y’all --
“And I keep picking petals // I’m afraid you don’t love me anymore // ‘cause a kid on the ‘gram in Black Dahlia tank said it ain’t heavy metal”
“You know what we want // why not give it to us? // it’s now or never // but there’s no pressure”
“And I keep picking petals // I’m afraid you don’t love me anymore // ‘cause a kid from A&R in a panic on the air says he don’t really get it, no”
“‘Cause some kid on the gram said he used to be a fan // but this shit ain’t heavy metal”
And then, quite brilliantly, Sykes gives us a few screams and a growl in the outro with, “no this ain’t heavy metal!”
Applause, my guy. Fear not, ‘cause we’re all still madly in love with y’all.
(i don’t know what to say)
The finale to this epic tale is nothing short of fulfilling. This track right here so elegantly rounds the record out, especially when considering it to be an emotionally enlightening experience. Sykes noted that this song was written for a friend of his who had recently passed away, and I feel that degree of pain and longing is clearly conveyed. How are we supposed to react when we open ourselves up to love and to be loved, whether to a friend or a lover, and are then we experience that ultimate betrayal -- them leaving? Forever?
The violins really sing this one home for me. Lyrics are great, but with something heavy and reflective such as this, the instrumentals can have a much more powerful impact on our experience.
-------
First there’s the blind allegiance, then a full 180 with Nihilist Blues, then a quest to discover what’s authentic to one’s own self. Who are you when you haven’t taken the time to figure it out for yourself? How do you find yourself, your voice, your language when all you’ve known is how to follow the lead of others, whether it’s in a cult or in a blatant rejection of everything?
I think “Follow You” in a lot of ways influenced not only the direction of this album, but also Sykes’ personal reconciliation with the events that inspired the record. It had the lines, “I’m your one-man cult,” and “‘cause I’m telling you // you’re all I need // I promise you // you’re all I see,” which both reflect the “blind faith” epidemic in “MANTRA.” If this album is indeed a story unfolding that teaches how to love ourselves and each other, it begins with “Follow You” from their previous record.
The last critical aspect of this record that I want to highlight is how the band has responded to both praise and criticism. No angry banter, no “fuck you”s, no “we aren’t that type of music” -- they’re a straight-up class act. They’ve expressed the core message of the album: even when you disagree or are telling someone off, do so with respect, and even with love. If that’s not the purest thing you’ve ever heard, then idk what is.
I’m convinced that this band is incapable of making a bad song. I know that sounds blindly cultish, but genuinely speaking there isn’t a single damn song on their last three albums that doesn’t just absolutely fucking rock. If you told me that I had to listen exclusively to BMTH for the rest of my life (while I’d surely miss some other artists), I wouldn’t even be mad.
They’re that mf good.
