Missio – Loner
hello folks! we’re kicking off a brand new discography today with Loner, by Missio, an electronic duo out of Austin, Texas. today’s record was released in 2017, after the band signed onto RCA.
the record starts with Animal and the singing, chanting chorus that introduces a kind of reckless abandon and embracing of vices. very fitting opening. much of the track is spent in a subdued, quieter period, and peaks up with a repeat of the chorus that started the track. I Do What I Want has some moody, more serious verses and some more electronic, more anthemic choruses. i can absolutely see how Middle Fingers became their big radio hit – lyrically it’s got a good sense of humor, leaning into a kind of “take me or leave me” vibe, and musically they’ve got electronic instrumentation throughout but it’s the least pronounced here. I Don’t Even Care About You was one of the first song written by the project, and was an early success for the band. it’s got the same kind of “fuck it” attitude, but with a much darker and more electronic sound. Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea was a track released to support the record, and im a bit surprised they didn’t start with this one. i feel like it has a more gradual build and crest, and seems like it woulda been a good fit. Kamikazee has one of my fave choruses on the record, i think. i don’t really like KDV – i’m not fond of the hook, and the guest verse by SHUG is pretty solid but doesn’t really move the needle for me. Twisted is the song on the record that leans the most into the dubstep style bass tones. pretty solid but not really my style. Everybody Gets High is about the type of things folks tell themselves as they go down a spiral. i think some of the more erratic electronic distortions here work better for the track. I Don’t Give a Fuck is a return to the “fuck it” vibes of Middle Fingers but for a more laid back kinda track, with the exception of the guest verse from Zeale. not huge on that. DWI goes for an end on a musical high, even while singing about driving drunk.
faves – Middle Fingers
dislikes –
this was a very interesting listen. frontman and songwriter Matthew Brue pulled much of the lyrical content of the record from an earlier period of his life where he struggled with substance abuse – the tracks here go from the pits of despair to defiantly self-destructive, and i think it’s a very tight package thematically. musically, this record is a pretty dubstep and EDM influenced alt rock. it’s definitely a sound that can work but this specific combination wasn’t the best for me, personally. definitely a neat record, and i think there’s a place where i could get more into it, but on the whole i think it wasn’t a huge hit for me this pass.
Loner – 5/10
next week we’re gonna take a look at their follow up from 2019 The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man.
this record is the first! | next: The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man.
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