Last summer we caught ENUMCLAW on an impossibly stacked lineup at our favorite Vancouver venue, Antisocial Skate Shop. Their earnest, Dinosaur Jr.-esque indie grunge rock sound made us fall in love with their record Save the Baby and their These are some B-sides EP. A year later, we’ve immersed ourselves in their new record Home in Another Life that’s out now via Run For Cover Records — get it here.
Just like their older records, this is music for being emotionally vulnerable to. ENUMCLAW’s sound is angsty and honest, and their lyrics are unvoiced thoughts that could have come straight from my youth brain. I adore their watery riffs, even as they pull me inside rooms I usually keep the doors closed to. Vocalist Aramis Johnson strikes a perfect sonic balance between caring too much and not giving a fuck, that sweet spot where we sit for most of our lives trying to decide which path to take. The sounds on this album meander through indie rock, dream pop, shoegaze, grunge, and noise rock, blending it all into songs that sound both new and familiar at the same time. Home in Another Life is going to be getting heavy spins in our home on cold sunny mornings and grey rainy evenings.
Home in Another Life is simply a powerful and poignant album that has fun with the truth, that takes the blues that come with trying to sort through what the rest of your life may be. Here is an album about doing something more, but not being so stuck on that idea you can’t have a good time right now.
Catch ENUMCLAW live if you’re in the UK later this month at the following dates:
- Oct 25 Troxy London, UK
- Oct 26 The Lower Third London, UK
- Oct 27 BEC Arena Manchester, UK
