I have been lacking motivation lately when it comes to album reviews and I am so sorry. It’s not that there has been a lack of music because my list has now grown to three pages along with a giant stack of albums overtaking my desk. I blame it on a busy schedule for the first time in months and just pure exhaustion from this new world. Although things seem to have slowed down physically for most people, I feel like the mental toll that this pandemic is taking is out of control and I honestly lost myself in it there for awhile. But– no need to fear! I’m back with a new sense of motivation and a million records to review so let’s hop to.
‘Ignore What’s Missing’ by GILT has been on my list for weeks and it was one that I was excited to check out so I couldn’t help but be hopelessly optimistic as I pushed play on this twelve song album. The title track kicks off this album and I was instantly in love. Vibes of nostalgia came with an instant Brand New (the band and in general) sound. Powerful, emotional, it was everything I needed to just finally let go of all the emotion and stress that this pandemic had me feeling. I was honestly completely lost in “Ignore What’s Missing” until I realized that the album had moved onto “Flowers”.
The bassline that kicks off “Flowers” is brilliant. It draws you in before the rest of the band quietly creeps in. There’s something painful about this song that instantly gave me chills. As the bassline proceeds through the song, the rest of the elements seem to come in and out like waves of sound. Waves of intensity keep this song from being a complete ballad and a short burst of chaos about half through proves just what GILT can do as a band and why they deserve your attention. As the tracks slows back down but with a new found intensity. Sure, this is only the second track on the album but it was an instant favorite.
“Charity” has a bit more upbeat sense to it while still clearly being GILT. This track has a deeper edge to it that is absolutely perfect. The infectious and pounding beat had me moving my head in time with a smile on my face. Although I had pegged this band as an Emo band, “Charity” came in to remind me that this band is so much more than that. “Shelf” is another example of that. At just over a minute long, this track definitely packs a punch and it took a couple of listens for me before I could move on.
“Numbers” slows things back down and opens with a beautiful piano part. Although there’s still an undeniable intensity in this track that you can feel build throughout, there’s that soft tinge of heartbreak that is impossible to ignore and makes this track an absolutely stunning piece of music. Even as the vocals move to a From First To Last styled scream, the heartbreak is there along with all of the emotions that come with the said break. Ironically, the first words of the sixth track, “Children of Animals” is “Never quite first or last” and it still reminded me of old school emo bands like From First to Last. A little spoken word style going on with the vocals along with a give and take between two vocalists, this track has everything in it that I yearn for as far as nostalgia goes but also brings something new to the mix as to not let the track (or band) fall into music of days gone by.
“Children of Animals” ends with a bit of a panic but “Blue Ink Pen” calms things down instantly. There’s something eerie about this track. It’s an element that I heard in the first few songs but the band really takes the time to expand on it in “Blue Ink Pen”. This track is powerful and anthemic and has cryptic words that I instantly dove into. I think the lyrics are one of the reasons I am so in love with GILT so instantly. They are cryptic and can be taken however you see fit and when those lyrics are matched with the genius instrumentation, well, there’s just something truly special about this band that you just have to hear. My words will not do the magic justice.
The ending of “Blue Ink Pen” is a bit odd as it seems to be completely separate from the rest of the song but it just adds to the creepiness and leads into “Sink and Tithe” perfectly. “Sink and Tithe” brings back the teeth that this band clearly has but tends to hide. The edginess comes in and out throughout this track making it a bit bipolar but also one of my favorites. I listen to music because it helps me express emotions that I otherwise would not be able to express and this song matches my current emotions absolutely perfectly. An instant favorite of mine, this would be the “one track” I would tell friends to listen to when trying to convince them to check out this band.
The heartbreak is real with “You’re The Sun”. This song literally left me lost for words. I have nothing to say other than sit back and take this track in- word by word, track by track.
The calmness and beauty of “You’re the Sun” is instantly changed into something a bit more upbeat with “What Color is the Light When It’s Turned Off”. There’s something purely raw about this track that I love. The vocals honestly took me a second to get used to because they seemed so different from the rest of the album but it works perfectly and honestly feels like the missing puzzle piece to this album. Just when I was getting used to this new vibe, “Car Seat” took over my speakers and brought even more surprises. Although the second to last track, this track brings a sense of heavy that had yet to be heard on this album and the fact that this band does it so well is honestly a bit shocking. Again, I can not stress this enough, although GILT definitely has a genre, they refuse to be put into a box of just that genre and that’s a really difficult thing to do. It’s clear that this band stays true to themselves and that is going to get them very far.
“I Didn’t Want You As A Mirror” ends this amazing album with a little Hotel Books vibe before turning into something that only GILT can do. Raw emotions flood out of this track in the perfect way while the instrumentation seems to be a steady heartbeat almost juxtaposing the pain and suffering felt in the words. This is a stunning ending track and just made me want to go back to the beginning of ‘Ignore What’s Missing’ and start this journey all over again.
Things are weird for everyone right now. Maybe it’s something as big as facing uncertainty on the job front or something as small as not being able to get together at your favorite bar with your favorite people, regardless, times are tough for everyone right now when it comes to mental health and it’s not something that gets talked about enough. Just like we need physical vacation days, we also need mental vacation days and I feel like this album would be the perfect soundtrack to one of those days. Hell, this is a perfect soundtrack to any day and I can’t wait to listen to it again, and again, and again, and again and…
My Favorite Track(s): “Flowers”; “Sink and Tithe”
For Fans Of: Nostalgia; Emotions; Using Music as a Therapy
Mosh-ability: 4.2 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Both cats hid upstairs because I kept turning the volume up until I was sure the neighbor was going to come yell at me
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 10 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 9.8 out of 10
Check Out GILT Here:
Check Out’ Ignore What’s Missing’ HERE!
Check Out Some Other Amazing Releases From Knifepunch Records HERE!
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