A day shy of exactly one year since the release of their debut LP via No Sleep Records, Even On The Worst Nights, Ohio’s Mixtapes have returned with Ordinary Silence.
To be blunt, Ordinary Silence is Mixtapes flexing its collective muscles. The new material is what fans of Even On The Worst Nights are used to, but better in every way. One of the first notable improvements is in the production of the album, allowing every instrument to stand out and not get muddied up or overpowered. And while every track on the album is a testament to that, "Ross (Dirty Water)" stands out as the song that benefits the most from the crisp production on Ordinary Silence.
But even if you were looking for something a bit different from prior material, don’t the aforementioned dissuade you, because Ordinary Silence is still a powerfully cohesive and competent album with the added charm only the vocal duo of Ryan Rockwell and Maura Weaver can bring. Lyricism and heartfelt delivery are amongst what Mixtapes is best at, and "Elevator Days" is the one of the strongest tracks on Ordinary Silence in that respect. It’s a song about realizing that every day I judge everyone around me and never realizing I'm the one that needs to change". 90 percent of our problems with other people I think are actually ourselves”, says Rockwell in a recent interview about the meaning behind the song. Similarly, "Happy and Poor", "Like Glass", and "A List Of Things I Can’t Handle" are genuine stories told with beautiful musicianship and lyricism.
Overall, Ordinary Silence is an improvement in every way. But, to play Devil’s Advocate, the culmination of the work that went into Ordinary Silence begs the question if one year is too small of a timeframe to release two full-length albums. This is not to say the album feels rushed or without effort; because it doesn’t. Mixtapes just seems like the same band they were last year, and maybe a full-length with some new influences would result in an even more rewarding listen. Regardless, Ordinary Silence is what we have, and while it’s impossible to complain that a band as consistent and talented as Mixtapes is releasing too much material in one year, there remains that lingering question.
Tracklist:
1. Bad Parts
2. Ross (Dirty Water)
3. Elevator Days
4. C.C.S.
5. Like Glass
6. Gravel (Interlude)
7. Happy And Poor
8. I Think I Broke It
9. You Look Like Springtime
10. Cheapness
11. Everything's Eventual
12. A List Of Things I Can't Handle
13. Swirling
14. Be The Speak That You Change About
RIYL: The Menzingers, The Dopamines
Rating:
Written by Marc Saggese
