Papertowns.

With You in Mind

Within the first forty-five seconds, I am hooked; the tender, distorted guitar coupled with the heartfelt vocals drew me in. I feel as if I am being dragged through someone’s memories that look vaguely similar to mine just without a point of reference. But as the album went on, instrumentally, With You in Mind never really shocked me with where it was going. It got quiet where I thought it would, it got intense and loud in the same way. Although the record is shrouded in emotion, it never makes me feel anything more than what I’ve already felt. There were no surprises, and I will not hesitate in saying I was never blown away.

Papertowns, a rock (emo) outfit from Phoenix, AZ, encouraged ideas of symbolism solely based on the title of the album, but I am disappointed the mental “wanderlust consequence” their band name inspired did not follow through to the lyrical content. With You in Mind encapsulates the feeling of being awake too late with someone stuck on your mind. It doesn’t make the lyrics are bad, by any means; you’ve just heard them all before in some capacity, and, at some points, the phrasing felt awkward and trite. The vocal delivery is merely good. I know the singer is capable of more.

All in all, With You in Mind is not a bad record, but it lends itself more to a band (or record) I would love to see live. Some of the vocal parts are overcome with emotion, and, honestly, that doesn’t come across on the record; live, it clearly makes more sense. If you’re casually looking for something new to jam with no direction, I don’t see this capturing your attention. It’s a record that should be listened to as a whole. The record never surprised me, but if you’re in a mood to vibe a post-punk/grunge-revival record, it’s worth the spin. It’s nothing new, but I’ve also never had bad pizza.