THE XCERTS CREATE ANTHEMS FOR ADVERSITY IN RAW NEW RECORD
Photo Credit: Sam Carter
ALBUM REVIEW | THE XCERTS – I THINK I WANT TO GO HOME NOW by Morgan Hermiston
Originally from Aberdeen, but now based in Brighton, trio The XCERTS return with their sixth studio record, i think i want to go home now. With the band being around for 23 years, history repeats itself in unfortunate ways, but this has created an abundance of analytical anthems that paint an eclectic eleven-track escapade of emotion. Murray Macleod, Jordan Smith, and Tom Heron have delved deep into the sound of The XCERTS, and this raw record is the result.
Venturing into a vivid sense of vulnerability, The XCERTS show the world a side of them that brings to light a surreal situational parallel between this album and their very first release. Macleod said ‘i think i want to go home now.” is “the purest Xcerts record there’s been since the first one“. Before that initial one, Smith’s father had passed away, and Macleod had gone through a devastating break-up. This album, however, surrounds the aftermath of Macleod’s father facing a cancer scare, and Smith’s mother sadly passing away. Through health scares, and losses of all kinds, the trio have stuck together, and making this album shines a light on the support they all show each other, and the friendship they continue to build on.
After an introductory track of less than a minute, also the title track, The XCERTS jumps straight into four back-to-back tracks fit to fill a stadium. “I wanna jump inside you heart, so I can safely fall apart,” are the opening lyrics to the album, in ‘do it to myself’, and perfectly encapsulate a wealth of hidden stories and feeling. This track also summarises being our own worse enemies. The steadier, supportive feel continues in ‘wow‘, which has a wonderfully wound balance between the vocals and melody.
The more supportive sound gives a feeling of safety, and this reassuring resonance takes you straight into ‘sinking feeling‘ and ‘bury you‘. They both have an anthemic attitude to them to make them real crowd pleasers. Fifth track ‘bury you‘ particularly has the huge chorus that many of us are drawn to. These choruses, intertwined with intricate instrumentals creates a layer to unpack with each listen. “Don’t let it, bury you” is the repeated mantra-like message, motivating us to not let situations overwhelm and completely consume us.
Along with angsty anthems, filled to the brim with understanding undertones, The XCERTS also master the art of mesmerising melancholy. This doesn’t mean any of these tracks are boring at all, they just slow the pace down a little, almost acting as a reflection break amongst heavier tunes. Songs like ‘rinse repeat‘ and ‘dream you in‘ are perfect examples. The eighth tune, ‘dream you in‘ was also the perfect, divinely dreamy, follow up to probably their heaviest track, ‘pretty ugly‘.
Striking singles are a perfected art with The XCERTS, and ‘pretty ugly’ is a dynamic depiction of this. With its impactful identity hitting instantly, the song sees Macleod take a head-on approach to struggles and pressured that we place on ourselves, as well as those imposed on us by others. With what he called “comically brutal” lyrics, there is almost intentionally incoherent vocals. This decision provides a poetic, though terrifically twisted, picture of what his mind must’ve been like. Through the distortion, there are raw writings like, “I’ll do one better than Van Gogh, and cut ’em both off“.
While themes like uncertainty and insecurity are prevalent themes throughout, courageous choruses in the likes of ‘losing it‘ provide a somewhat uplifting take on what are very stark subjects. “Accept the love that we deserve” is the lyrics following the question, “do I still make my parents proud?“. The fundamental foundation in both this track and the penultimate ‘breathe in what was‘ create a steadiness seen in earlier tracks, that creates stability in a world that doesn’t give us any at all. This latter track also talks of living your life almost looking from the outside in, “wasting my time out on the side line, begging to belong“.
Also a single, ‘in your eyes‘ is the perfect way to round up the exceptional ‘i think i want to go home now.” While it’s the longest track, at over five minutes in duration, the last-minute twist just elevates everything that one bit more. As with much of the record, this is a goldmine of gritty yet vulnerable lyricism, resulting in a multi-faceted methodology that provides two elements to the same track. The album ends with the repeated concept of loving someone forever, and how “this isn’t goodbye“.
Particular, poetic and poignant are the three words I’d use to summarise this record. It conceptualises the topics that are tricky to talk about, with an approach you’ll find solace in one way or another. This album is absolutely stellar, so it’s one I recommend seeing live as soon as possible.
As well as the in-store shows in the post below, The XCERTS will also be embarking on a UK tour in October. This includes shows such as Leeds on 16th October, Manchester on the 21st and Glasgow on the 23rd. You can find more information on these below as well as on their website. They’ve already supported the likes of Twin Atlantic, and Dinosaur Pile-Up, and if you’re a fan of Biffy Clyro, then you’ll love this record, making it almost futile not to go see them.
