Crime In Stereo – I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone

When Crime In Stereo jumpstarted their career with 2007’s list topping Is Dead, they elevated themselves into the spotlight of the melodic post-hardcore movement.  Their departure from convention was a gamble that resulted in critical acclaim and overwhelming praise.  While their post-Is Dead sound falls remarkably close to that of underground sensation Brand New’s more subdued moments, Crime In Stereo defined themselves as pioneers rather than mere imitators.  Fast-forward three years and it is time for the highly anticipated, much hyped follow-up, I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone – which brings fans to the obvious question: Can the successor live up to the legacy?

Rather than building suspense through several cryptic paragraphs about the band’s genre eclipsing intensions, I’ll just come out and say it: I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone rocks.  In fact, the band exceeds all expectations, taking their firmly established sound and unique vision to new levels of experimentation.  The album actually comes across as what Brand New might have ended up as had they pursued the intriguing sound found on their career defining work, The Devil and God Rage Inside Me.  It’s an intense emotional journey bolstered by Kristian Hallbert’s dark vocals and an ever-evolving soundscape of unconventional chords, unpredictable tempos, and gripping transitions.

Tracks like “Drugwolf” and “Exit Halo” bounce between sing along choruses, contrasting time signatures, and reflective bridges.  While coherent as a whole, each member contributes a nuanced assortment of subtle complexities to the immersive musical panorama.  Right from the howling vocals and the stadium-filling drumbeats, such tracks straddle the line between overarching grandeur and deeply personal experience.  Counterbalancing these lofty moments, Crime In Stereo also includes bursts of raw simplicity, as found throughout the energetic, rock-centric track, “Not Dead.”  Meanwhile, on the album’s back half, tracks like “Type One” and “Republica” blur conventional chorus-verse frameworks.  I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone succeeds because each track feels consistently interesting.

I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone is in substance just as unpredictable as Crime In Stereo has become in recent years.  Typically, when a band reinvents their sound, fans approach a follow-up with caution.  After all, how much innovation can one band muster?  But with Crime In Stereo, there’s no need for hesitancy.  Simply put, I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone is a fantastic example of immersive post-hardcore that should not be missed.