British pop punk band
As It Is released their sophomore album Okay under Fearless Records on
January 20th. Since its release, I’ve probably listened to this
album on repeat every day since, and that’s not even an exaggeration. Sticking
true to their pop punk roots with an emphasis on the “pop”, the band decided to
make their follow up to their 2015 debut album, Never Happy, Ever After, a
sort of concept album. A lot of the tracks follow the theme of “It’s okay to
not be okay,” which is something I can get behind.
Many of the tracks on
this album mention focus on loss, mental health, heartbreak, and regret. The
cover art and the promotional art have a 50s theme with a twist. It’s so
fitting because the art has this happy-go-lucky feel, with bright colors,
smiling families, and everything seems peachy. But if you look closer you can
see the darker elements. The carefree girl going for a bike ride with a huge
bomb in her basket, the happy dad and smiling child playing catch with a grenade,
etc. It perfectly depicts the band’s message of “things are not always as they
seem”.
The album kicks off with
the track “Pretty Little Distance”, which I feel was the perfect choice to set
the tone of the whole album. The track is poppy, upbeat and totally catchy, you’ll
be singing this for hours after you first hear it. It has this quirky 50s-type
feel and it focuses on how from a distance, things look great but it’s not
always the case. In the first verse, you hear the lines “I stretch the truths
till they lose shape. As Support beams bend and break. Watch reality’s slow
cascade (But that’s alright).” The music video pairs nicely, looking like a
scene from Grease with girls in flowing, poodle skirts and guys with
slicked-back do’s. It was definitely the right choice as the band’s first
single.
The title track “Okay”
is one of my most played tracks on the album. It perfectly captures that
all-too familiar feeling of knowing that you’re going through a rough time and
things are kind of bad, and you just don’t quite know how to fake a smile and
say “Oh yeah sure, I’m okay!” It’s something that almost everyone has dealt
with in their life. This feeling of hopelessness and the reality of what it’s
like to deal with mental illness and how everyone around you says “It’ll be
fine” but you know the truth. The line that really stuck out to me was “so keep
your ‘it’ll get betters’ and I’ll keep my ‘I’ll be just fine’s’. I’ll show you
flashes of colors and hide behind my bouquet of lies.” That hit me deep in my
soul.
Another standout
track is “Hey Rachel”, the track dedicated to front man Patty Walter’s sister.
The video was so touching and heartfelt, It made me feel bad for being a shitty
brother and I don’t even know Rachel – nor am I anyone’s brother. The track is
Walter’s way of apologizing to his younger sister for not being there for her
when they were growing up and not paying attention to what she was going
through. It’s incredibly heartfelt and the music video shows clips of home
videos and gives you a nice little glimpse into his home life.
Other tracks that I
absolutely adore are “The Coast Is Where Home Is,” a track about distance and
remembering where you came from. It makes feel nostalgic and sentimental about
a place I’m not even from (because let’s face it – I’m not the least bit
sentimental about my actual hometown). “Still Remembering” is a heartbreaking
ballad about saying goodbye to the love that you once held with your old flame
and trying to figure out how to move on. The perfect way to wind-down and end
the album. Another track I love is “Until I Return”. This is another track that
gets stuck in my head, It’s so catchy and it just gets me in my feelings. The
opening verse is “You can’t keep me sane when I’m out of sight. I still lose my
way from time to time. You can’t keep me sane when I’m out of sight, I promise
I’ll fight, but I can’t promise that I’ll be fine.” The song is about having
that person that helps bring you out of that depressive slump and that even
though you might be 100% fine all the time, you’re still fighting your ass off
to make it.
If you haven’t picked
up this album, I highly recommend it. It’s been my go-to album for weeks now,
it’s got something for everyone to enjoy. While it’s a huge difference from their
debut album considering how pop the sound is, it’s still the same As It Is that
we know and love. Plus, I’m a huge advocate for mental health and I love the
message behind the album and the fact that they’re using their platform to draw
attention to the subject and t lessen the stigma makes me extremely happy.
Catch them on their first headlining North American tour. You can purchase
tickets here.
