Look, we get it. The world has gone to shit. We’re in worrying times, but on occasion, it’s nice to plug yourself into some headphones and ignore all the desperation around us. Sometimes, it’s nice to focus on other people’s problems – and here to tell stories of their own misfortune and doubt, are Spanish Love Songs.
Following from 2018’s sophomore album ‘Schmaltz’, the Californians have returned with their third full length, but where ‘Schmaltz’ was a deep dive into vocalist Dylan Slocum’s existentialism and self-doubt, follow-up ‘Brave Faces Everyone’ tells a different story. Built around the 30+ week tour supporting their previous album, it tells character driven tales of heartbreak, addiction, and depression alongside societal observations on climate change, contemporary political discourse, and the opioid crisis. While the narrative may stay in a similar vein, this isn’t an album written solely by Slocum – instead, it includes personal accounts from the rest of the band that seamlessly bleed into each other, creating a fully collaborative feel.
Opening with ‘Routine Pain’, there’s a familiarity, and the sense that Spanish Love Songs – while embracing their new writing style – are still able to create songs that feel like a warm hug, despite the nihilistic content. With drum fills that could come straight from ‘Schmaltz’ alongside the distinctive vibrato in Slocum’s voice, it’s a return to form straight from the off. One of the few songs that appear to be solely autobiographical, anxiety and self-awareness are leaned on heavily to act as a bridge between ‘Schmaltz’ and ‘Brave Faces Everyone’.
‘Kick’ features the effortlessly catchy chorus of “say ‘keep your head up’ if you’re not okay, but not okay is what’s expected”, tying together a song telling of dealing with drug addicted loved ones. With an intro akin to blink-182, thanks in part to spectacularly precise drumming from Ruben Duarte, it’s easy to see why this was released as a single to promote the album.
A re-recorded version of ‘Losers’ makes an appearance, recorded half a step up from the 2019 release – Slocum confirmed via Twitter that this was because bassist Trevor Dietrich forgot to tune down whilst recording, and the rest of the band failed to realise till they were laying the guitars. It’s a very minor difference, and the slightly higher pitch almost adds an ironic poetry to the chorus line of “and my bleak mind says it’s cheaper just to die”. Also released as a single, the combination of ‘Losers’ and ‘Kick’ perfectly show the progression from writing about their own situations, to writing about exterior situations.
‘Optimism (as a radical life choice)’ has the common Spanish Love Song trait of being stuffed full of lines that would look as good tattooed into your flesh as they sound in your ears. “Take me out back and shoot me, all my circuits are faulty” and “There’s a crack in my lifeboat, I’m sinking” are two prime examples that work in either medium but particularly resonate with Slocum’s vocals.
Despite still brimming with the bands now trademark self-depreciating brand of garage punk, ‘Brave Faces Everyone’ embraces a more mature and interesting take, developing both lyrically and sonically. The clue is in the title – this album isn’t necessarily pessimistic, but more about finding your place in a world that may feel hopeless. As the album’s namesake track says: “We were never broken. Life’s just very long.”
ANDY JOICE