Review by Nina Schirmer
To those who have listened to WATERMEDOWN’s previous work, the announcement a new was incredibly exciting. The Same View With A New Light is wrapped up in nothing but beautiful emotion that glistens throughout the soothing melodies and punching lyrics. The entirety of the album displays pure honesty and embraces sensitive thoughts while letting go of all vulnerability.
The album opens up with “For Everyone’s Sake” that starts off with a slow soothing opening that smacks you in the face with emotion as soon as the vocals come in. The song builds up vocally as the lyrics shout to the world to “wake up” which very cleverly transitions to the sound of an alarm clock leading into the next track, “Locks and Blinds.” As soon as this track kicks in, the happy and uplifting guitar riffs draw you into the powerful track. The third track on the album, “Blend” is full of beautiful harmonics, melodies and genuine lyrics. At the beginning of the album, it becomes apparent how the mood of the instrumentation really shines throughout each song.
The fourth track on the album, “Redefined” is stellar with the unique guitar riffs and changes from acoustics to electric. The song builds up emotionally and comes to an end with incredible high pitched vocal work. Although songs can have many different meanings to listeners, for this song it seems that the the title fits so well with the track. After really listening to the lyrics and understanding that the song is about a relationship, it seems that the title can mean a person or anyone or anything does not have to define who you are. As we go through life we are all redefining ourselves over and over again.
The fifth track on the album, “Dead Things” is a very cute and unique song about veganism and sung from the point of view of a vegan. From the singer’s point of view, the song talks about why others should consider the transition. With veganism becoming more and more popular, it would be no surprise if this song became an anthem for vegans everywhere. The album then transitions to the sixth song on the album, “Search Box.” This track is one of the shorter ones on the album but it is a song that goes through what sounds like a perfect day. It highlights a positive theme of progress that can really put a smile on someone’s face. The album then flows into the next song, “Stagnant,” a hard-hitting track that is melodically really fun and something a listener can really sink into.
Lyrically “Fickle” is a more of a sad song but there’s something about it that really has a spark of hopefulness to it and this seems to radiate through the instrumentation. The album continues to soften and slow down its pace as it flows into the next song, “On a Paper Trail.” The acoustic track is very pretty and soft and similarly to “Fickle,” there is something about this track instrumentally that gives off a sense of hope, comfort and positivity. The album comes to an end with the tenth track, “Three Long Over Ice” which contains lovely harmonizing vocals.
Throughout the entire album there, is not one song that could be considered a filler track. With the creative transitions, deep meaningful lyrics, colorful instrumentation and so much more, WATERMEDOWN’s new album, The Same View With A New Light is an absolute must listen.
Rating: 5/5
Listen to: “Redefined” or “Dead Things”
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