The Menzingers - After the Party (February 3, 2017) Album • Page 78

This album is solid.
The band is solid.

Crazy for sleeping on them the last 5+ years.

 

Yeah I'm floored by how good this is. The only complaint I have has nothing to do with the album, it's that the weather around me seems incongruent with the record, this music calls for car windows down on summer evenings, not 20 degree February afternoons.

 

I'm still utterly shocked that someone would hate Transient Love enough to delete it

 

If you have a significant other, you should be swing dancing with them to Charlie's Army like in the classic musicals.

 

God, not this argument again....

 

Still not sure where this lands for me in their discography but it's really fuckin' good. Not a dud on this album, and I commend them for making an album totally different than Rented World.

 

I've listened 5+ times and this record gets better each time. Damn.

 

I would put the openers from this album and the last two on my list of top 10 Menzingers songs

 

Preorder came so now I got the lyrics in front of me. Need some beer to accompany my turntable tomorrow night.

 

Huh,....looking at it with an open mind, you're totally right. I like those songs, but you're right.

 

"Black Mass" will be a staple.

 

Ugh that "toss and turn at 4 in the morning" line in "Your Wild Years" is everything.

 

I think "The souvenirs of happiness in the moment" on Your Wild Years might be a Gates reference - "You'll carve your names into the Paupack cliffs just to read them when you get old enough to know that happiness is just a moment"

 

Did RW have references to past albums? I dont remember any off the top of my head

 

Some new thoughts after repeated listens:

-Midwestern States reminds me so much of Sharks. Miss that band a ton. I also hear a lot of the Sidekicks on this album.

-Someone already mentioned how the tattoos reference on Midwestern Stares echoes that of Mexican Guitars. Interestingly, both songs are about escaping to places much warmer and foreign compared to PA/The Midwest. Tattoos = Get out if here lol

-Lyrically, I think Livin Ain't Easy is the perfect closing song, but musically, The Bars might even fit more so.

-the riff in between the verse and chorus inn boy Blue may be the best in the album. Reminds me a lot of No We Didn't

 

Eric and Joe are unsung heroes. Their rhythm section is super tight and they add some interesting layers to Tom and Gregs guitars. Eric in particular has a really good tone to his bass and he has some cool little bass moments on this album.

 

Yeah I've always liked Eric's bass tone a lot. CW has his best bass lines imo, the production really allows his leads to shine through

 

definitely. CW has a lot of great rhythm moments, Time Tables and No We Didnt immediately come to mind.

 

Combing through Genius to find more past references. Love when artists connect to older material. So far we have

Cloud full of nicotine in "Lookers" referencing "Nothing Feels Good Anymore".

Bad tattoos in "Midwestern States" and "Mexican Guitars"

Happiness in a moment referenced in "Your Wild Years" and "Gates"

"this girl i know, shes tryin to get high" in "House On Fire" references "Ava House".

 

I agree with this. The Bars would have made the most sense musically, but Livin' Ain't Easy makes more sense from a lyrical standpoint.

 

I like Eric's bass on the opener, Tellin' Lies. It's sort of in the back, but he is taking that line for a walk.

 

Made some coffee, listened to this through the stereo system, and read along to the lyrics. Some thoughts from my first real, in-depth listen:

- God, Tom stepped it the hell up on this one. House On Fire, Boy Blue, and The Bars are easily in my top five Tom songs, joining Burn After Writing and Nice Things.

- 45 minutes, 13 tracks, not a single dud, and none of the tracks are interludes or intros or whatever. I was not expecting how substantial this album turned out to be.

- Yet another incredible Menzingers opener in Tellin' Lies.

- The reference to the Wonder Bar in Lookers made me go wild when that song dropped, and the Stone Pony reference in Your Wild Years makes it even better. Multiple references to places I see basically every day gives me a pretty tangible connection to this one.

- Greg is so good at making songs speak to each other in a way that doesn't feel forced. It makes the album feel like its own little world with characters and events and a story that's just under the surface. Julie showing up in Lookers and Charlie's Army is a nice touch. I also really love "It's me and her after the party" in Charlie's Army, "After the party, it's me and you" in the title track, and "We're still breathing and the party ain't over" in Midwestern States.

- To make a Gaslight Anthem comparison, this is the Menzingers' Handwritten--just everyone firing on all cylinders, really focusing on top-quality songwriting instead of trying to make a departure, gimmick, or half-baked concept work.

- The only lyrics on here that I think explicitly reference old songs are "This girl I know, she's trying to get high" referencing Ava House and "boxes labeled 'former you'" referencing Nothing Feels Good Anymore. "Cloud of nicotine" just feels like a re-used image (which is fine) and "bad tattoos" isn't specific enough for me to think it's a direct line to Mexican Guitars, but of course I could be wrong about that, just my reading of the lyrics.

Gonna be playing this one for a long time. So happy this album beat expectations for me.

 

I was going mad trying to remember where I'd heard the former you line before

 

Lol, I was just thinking yesterday that if OTIP was their '59 sound, that would make this their Handwritten.

 

I like the comparison. I will say Handwritten felt like a more complete record, where at this point After The Party like Get Hurt feels like a collection of songs. But I do agree in about the evolution of these talented bands.