From The Underground: I Was Totally Destroying It – Preludes Review
I Was Totally Destroying It is a five-piece power-pop band who releasd their third LP April 12th. The album is out through Portland based indie label, Greyday Records. Aptly titled Preludes, the release was originally intended as a possible single or EP to act as a precursor to another upcoming album, Vexations, due in late 2011.
IWTDI vocalist John Booker brought out his shelved music material to see which songs might work as a lead-in for Vexations. Booker recalls, “Before we started writing Preludes, I had Joe and Rachel sit down in our practice room with pencil and paper and I stood in front of them with just an acoustic guitar. I ran through all 35 ideas and they marked down their thoughts on each and voted. That’s how we picked which songs we’d tackle.”
Once John Booker (vocals, guitar) played, Joe Mazzitelli (bass) and Rachel Hirsh (vocals, keyboards) voted, the chosen songs were presented to Curtis Armstead (guitar) and James Hepler (drums) for the final reworking. This resulted in a full length album of its own. Preludes involves themes of alienation and anxiety, set to an upbeat rhythm that allows you to feel optimistic despite the present anguish. I Was Totally Destroying It is currently touring from Boulder, CO through the U.S. midwest to their home territory in Chapel Hill, NC.
What drives Preludes is its upbeat tones, mingled with angsty lyrics. “Wrecking Ball” is a perfect opener with its flippant lines stating, “I may hate myself, but I hate you all so much more. Yeah, it’s me against the world.” You can’t get annoyed with the words though, because the musical cheerfulness naturally brings a smile to your face. “Control” too is reminiscent of happy music/sad lyrics bands like The Cure.
“All Get Lucky” relaxes into a slightly more sober melody, assuring, “It’s a matter of time, my angry angel. Together we’ll get by.” Other easier tunes like “When Chaos Comes” and “With You Now” are nearly dreamy, particularly with Hirsh’s vocal contributions which add an element of loveliness enhancing the lyrics.
More aggressive tracks like “Regulators” and “Twenty-Thousand” maintain an inviting mood despite agitated lyrics such as, “You hang around like a cast-on shadow. Stop wasting my time.”
The album takes a nice turn with Hirsh’s head-trip piano driven song, “Fight/Flight”. The soft intro, “It doesn’t hurt a bit / It’s only in your head,” nicely builds into beautifully fierce outcries.
I Was Totally Destroying It completes the ten-track Preludes with a song that could easily be the beginning of another album. “The Key & The Rose” is delightful with its male/female vocals providing fresh fun in yet another highly dance-able tune. If there is any gray in your day, IWTDI says, “You don’t have to feel like this,” and immediately the drabness is filled with vibrant color.
4/5
Written by Myriah Christine