Can’t Swim’s debut full-length, Fail You Again, is where post-hardcore meet catchy.
“We Won’t Sleep” takes the crown for the catchiness on the record, with its gang vocal-led chorus singing “We won’t sleep until the lights burn out, just stay / We won’t leave until the roof caves in, just stay.” The heavy-feeling guitars in “$50,000,000” make a great companion for the growling vocals, and the duality of the sudden somber bridge that leads to sudden yelling, solitary vocal tracks makes this song one of the best on the record. While “Friend” instrumentally and vocally is a good song, I find the topic of the song (giving your all for someone and always being there for them, but when you need them, they’re nowhere to be seen) overdone. “Stranger” feels a little hodge-podged together with its varying speeds and intensity, but the guitar riffs throughout the song keep my interest and make me eager for what’s to come. The following track, “One Shot,” is close to being my favorite off the album. The chorus’ gang vocals, much like in “We Won’t Sleep,” make listeners want to sing along, and the distorted guitars in the bridge was a great touch to pair with the morose lyrics “But what if you gave all your love / To someone who would waste it up” and “I’m the one you call for help / But what if I am gone myself.” Next up, “Kid,” is my top song off Fail You Again. For the most part, this is more of a lyric-driven song. To me, it’s a song about abruptly needing to grow up, even if you don’t want to. “Molly’s Desk” packs a punch. Both with sacrilegious lyrics and with driving drums and guitar work. As a whole, Fail You Again definitely has some tracks I’m going to be adding to some of my playlists.
Overall: While some parts of Fail You Again felt a tad sloppily pieced together, Can’t Swim have released a killer follow up to their debut EP, Death Deserves a Name.
8.5/10
Review by Shane Haley
Crown Times Music 