by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
At the end of the craziness that was known as the year 2020, Boston trio Squitch managed to squeak in the release of their third full length, Learn to be Alone, a record passes along lessons and stories that deserve to be heard. The growth they have manifested over the past five years shows through on this record, full of lyrical and instrumental emotional shifts and a power that never diminishes whether being roared or solemnly intoned. Em Spooner’s songwriting and vocals really shine throughout and their impressive skills as a frontperson are hard to overstate. Spooner, Emma Jane, and Denzil Leach are all extremely strong musicians and their musical communication is at its strongest up to this point as each member manages to bend and twist around a maze of rhythms and shifting dynamics.
“Egg” leads off the record with Spooner’s guitar taking the fore as they address the song’s subject in an agitated manner while Leach’s drum fills roll and gallop in between stops. Right from the gate Squitch introduce their ever-shifting song structures and tempos as Spooner and Jane’s vocals contrast and play off each other over the squall. “Part of Me” jerks and flails around a poppy melody that lingers even through the more dissonant moments of this highlight. Jane takes control of the lead vocals lending a slightly lighter tone as her vocals stretch enunciations and pitch. Leach’s fills provide a strong backbone for crunching guitar chords and Spooner’s dipping bass, as the band powers through its tightly wound and angst-filled environs.
Squitch dial up the punk and noise influences on “Splintered Gaze” and the faster pace intensifies the heightened emotions conveyed in Spooner’s vocals and splintering guitar leads. Leach’s snare snaps and pops as Spooner’s guitar throws out distorted shreds, the roiling strength surging and exploding in magnificent little bursts. “Pretty Boy” is full of ringing arpeggio’s and stilted time shifts keeping things on the precipice of collapse, while Spooner lays out the struggles of dealing with disclosing unknown personal information with those you are closest with as well as yourself. The instrumental twitchiness makes an equally strong impact in a song that deals with an important subject matter with tenderness and steely resolve.
Learn to be Alone is a document of a band that is starting to grow and blossom into a powerful force of nature lyrically and musically, and one that is developing its own voice with each outing. Spooner, Jane and Leach have a connection that is clearly evident, allowing them to anticipate and move with each other seamlessly through tricky transitions and varying tones. This is a record that refuses to stay in one space, yet powers through any obstacles and has a flow that builds unrelenting momentum. Learn to be Alone handles all of it’s changing emotional depths and angularity superbly producing a beautiful, strong, and impassioned piece of art.