I like to consider myself a fan of everything, and I do that because I am. But even though I’m a fan of everything, some stuff just isn’t for me.
Devon Thompson’s Skin is one of those things. It’s got a poppy twist to grungy punk that leans hard into her broken heart. She’s like if Bully decided to replace their aggression with synths and cries.
That combination might be you. But it ain’t for me. I don’t have a broken heart. And a happy, light version of pop grunge doesn’t fit my mood right now. I’m too angry, too stressed, and too aggressively agitated for the lightness of Devon Thompson.
The guitars and drums on her tracks get me hyped up, but it never fully forms. Instead of getting screams, I get harmonies. Instead of getting anger, I get sadness. I get basslines being driven in the right lane instead of the left.
You see where I’m going with this? It’s too calm! For me anyways.
Highlights: She Is Devil. A nice acoustic arrangement that reminds me of off genre country mashups. I might not be a fan of country (in fact, I might totally hate it. I don’t give a fuck if your truck won’t let you put your dick in its tailpipe), but I am a fan of non-country artists using country as inspiration for their music. That’s what She Is Devil feels like, and it works with the broken heart thread she pulls through each song. Because even though I don’t feel my heart broken, everything works cohesively.
Lowlights: There aren’t any specific lowlights here. I’m not the audience for this type of sound, and the rest of the songs on the album are this type of sound. And by this type of sound, I mean poppy, heartbroken grunge rock with 80’s synths instead of aggression.
Be like Bully. Be aggressive. Your backing music is asking for it!
