Almost a decade on from their debut EP ‘First Down’ – a razor sharp love letter to the emo genre – ‘Corner’ finds Football, Etc doing exactly as they always have, softly raging through the imperfections and anxieties of everyday life. You’d be hard pushed to find a band who do it better though.
The Houston trio’s third full length, their first in four years, is rare in the way it asks no questions and forces no answers. A record that doesn’t try to twist or tweak the genre for the sake of it, but instead dives head first into its most beautiful spots. Each track has an unhurried lushness, perfectly flowing into the next. Nothing sounds accidental, yet nothing feels forced either. Considering that nothing surpasses the four minute mark, with most tracks under three, the craft at work is something truly unparalleled, especially during an era where long-winded, drawn out albums reign, such as ‘I like It When You Sleep…’ and ‘Goodness’.
These are both great records, maybe even two of the best of the last five years, but there’s no denying that parts could have been reigned in a little. That’s what Football, Etc manage so well here, and it’s something that shouldn’t be taken at all lightly.
Knowing when to end a song aside, there is more going on in ‘Corner’ that deserves praise. Lyrically, it reaches places only the best emo records do. Songs such as ‘Save’ and ‘Space’ are both fragile and poignant, with Lindsay Minton delivering the lines “if you were a ship I’d be drowning in your wake, I think that I forgot how to swim” with a natural, severe honesty.
Recorded live over five days, the production is perhaps the only thing that differs drastically from 2009’s ‘First Down’, but it’s rare and refreshing to see a band stay so true to their roots. There are parts where the record truly soars too. The blistering guitar intro on ‘Foul’ (many of the songs here have sports related titles but that’s where the references begin and end) something indie-punk stalwarts Joyce Manor would be proud of.
On the surface, ‘Corner’ is a ravishing, precisely crafted emo record from a trio who seem to manage beautiful, sharp melodies in their sleep. Dig a little deeper though, and this is a truly inventive effort. Invigoratingly honest, perfectly performed and almost violently melodic. It could well prove to be one of this years most crucial releases from a band who are quietly becoming the benchmark for the emo genre.
SEAN LITTLEWOOD