On Ages and Agesâ past two albumsâ2014âs Divisionary and 2016âs Something to Ruinâtheyâve confronted hardships head-on. Regardless of the direction their versatility takes them, thereâs an innately dark angle to the Portland bandâs delivery. Their new album, Me You They We, delves even deeper into that despondent realm.
Beginning with the buoyant lead single, âJust My Luck,â thereâs a duality to Me You They We. The single bounces along crisply enough, but its vaguely Elliott Smithian melodic stroke also makes it one of Ages and Agesâ most overtly downer ballads. âIsnât it just my luck,â Tim Perry sings, âThe more of me I give them/The less they give a fuck/Iâve had enough.â
Perry shares his curiosities and insights in near-whispers, giving the bandâs whimsical tunes a subtlety that makes songs with murkier subject matterâlike âIt Isnât That Eazy,â or cathartic standout track âHow It Feelsââsettle into gorgeous sonic real estate. The ubiquitous 24-hour news cycle creeps into âNeedle and Thread,â a song so endearingly arranged, you almost canât tell itâs a reminder to resist the urge to let day-drinking and lethargy dictate your disposition.
Me You They We steps away from the breezy choral-folk and optimism of the bandâs previous releases, instead offering a snapshot of their obvious distaste for the evils of fascism, the horrors of climate change, and the confusion of being alive in a rapidly curdling society. Throughout the album, Ages and Ages utilize supple dynamics and densely layered arrangements to present a dissertation on being utterly forlorn in a divisive America. Itâs that, but, yâknow... really catchy, too.