This is a dark horse contender for album of the year. It’s not my personal number one, but I expect it to sneak into a lot of top 10 lists.
I only discovered these guys in 2022 after they released ‘Narrative.’ It was a striking introduction to Jack Murray’s lyrical flow and vicious delivery. He has an incredibly unique, absolutely relentless vocal style. He’s ever-present in the songs, supported by a band that matches his energy and pessimism.
My main concern for this album was that 156/Silence wouldn’t be able to differentiate it from their previous work. Many of the songs on ‘Narrative’ start to blur together after a while because the barking vocals and general soundscapes are so similar. I don’t typically want a band to “evolve” just for the sake of change, but it was already hard to distinguish between the songs on ‘Narrative’ – this new album needed to have its own identity.
In that regard, ‘People Watching’ couldn’t have been a bigger success. It integrates new angles while respecting the band’s core style. It’s a nudge in a new and exciting direction. A new chapter, not a new book.
The subtle changes to the instruments really bring this album to life. ‘Narrative’ occasionally bordered on dark poetry. The instruments were often secondary; a backdrop for Murray’s artistic lyricism. This time around, the music isn’t tuned as low. Never before had I thought that the instruments on ‘Narrative’ were washed out, but I like the clearer composition on ‘People Watching.’ It’s more engaging.
“Character Development” is immediately reminiscent of everything 156/Silence has accomplished up to this point. The verses that build on top of each other, the spoken word moments, and the instruments opening up for the crushing impact at the end – that’s what this band is all about. “Target Acquired” follows a similar pattern and gives Murray a stripped down instrumental section to showcase his signature style.
“Better Written Villain” offers a taste of 156/Silence’s experimentation with clean singing. It’s deceptive in approach because the singing isn’t too impressive until the last minute. The band obviously did that on purpose because the singing in “Product Placement” immediately picks up where “Better Written Villain” left off. I had to check that they didn’t have a guest vocalist doing the singing. I never expected to hear cleans like this from 156/Silence. It immediately reminded me of hearing Boundaries do the same thing on “Easily Erased” earlier this year.
“Funeral Arrangements” and “Unreasonable Doubt,” a song that would be very much at home on ‘Narrative,’ also have varying degrees of singing and melody, showing that 156/Silence have already figured out how to incorporate softer moments without losing themselves. The album closer, “Healing Process,” also makes a powerful statement as the band weaves in and out of singing passages, often overlapping with dark screams.
I wouldn’t be surprised to hear 156/Silence continue to explore this sound in the future. They dipped their toes in the water and the fan reception couldn’t have been better. They added a great new element to their arsenal without having it impact the things that they’ve always done well. This is the novel sound that they needed to come up with and they did it. The perfect new dimension to keep things exciting.
156/Silence // People Watching
Categories: Reviews
