album of the week: make yourself at home - harmony woods
words: aaron eisenreich
Make Yourself At Home, the second album from Philadelphia’s Harmony Woods is a beautiful rumination on the simple, yet devastating truths of life and how we grapple with them. The band, led by Sofia Verbilla, opted for a bigger sound and production than 2017’s Nothing Special, that embraces a range of dynamics which and allows the songs to naturally grow around Verbilla’s observational lyrics that find deep meaning in everyday occurrences.
In a way, the album feels like one long song or performance, almost like a short story that follows an arc — a deep exploration of a few themes. Part of this connection comes from the way the songs seem to bleed together, sometimes with Verbilla taking an audible breath at the end of one track just before the next one kicks in. While the band undoubtedly made the most of their studio time adding layers and textures, oftentimes the album feels as if it were recorded live in one long take.
Make Yourself At Home begins with “Swing,” an introduction driven by an acoustic guitar riff on top of a looming synth. As the song ends, the synth holds the note directly into “Best Laid Plans,” which kicks off the album musically and thematically. It starts with just vocals, bass, and light guitar before a heel-turn switch that brings the band together and lets the distorted guitars loose. The song also introduces the first refrain of the album by quoting Of Mice and Men and referencing the title of the track when Verbilla sings “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry/Despite all this, I still want you here by my side.”
One of the themes throughout the record is the acceptance of that quote and the realization that comes in when Verbilla says “despite all this.” Accepting that plans often fail (or as she also repeats on the album “Death is not a stranger/Every life will have an end/One day you will die/And only ghosts will be your friend”) means acknowledging the truth of mortality and the idea that things don’t work out like in movies. However, it doesn’t mean wasting away in despair. Once you can internalize these truths, you realize that it frees you to make the most of the here and now. As Verbilla sings when reflecting on the people driving by her apartment, “They’re too busy to sit around and think about life/If they’re not worrying, why am I?”
“The City’s Our Song” and “Ghosts” carry on the theme of embracing your time despite the knowledge that it will end. Really, the album cover conveys this idea perfectly with the image of death and a ghost at a party with balloons and cake. And that’s what these two songs are in particular—some joy in the face of grim reality.
It all ends with a string of songs that fit together like different movements of the same piece, adding to the overall cohesiveness of the album. “Burden” is one of the heaviest and most haunting tracks, which is saying something (again, take a look at the album cover). “Misled” is a stunning song that builds into one of the most intense moments on the record, making it feel like the turning point in the album’s arc.
“Misled” fades directly into “Best Laid Plans II,” another excellent song returning to the early themes of the record while also building on them as Verbilla sings “Our heads in our hands, our bodies trembling/The both of us accepting our defeat.” “Sagittarius” dials back the intensity for a moment before building on the repeated line “Sometimes you can get everything that you want/And still not be happy.”
The album ends with “Halt,” a slow-burner that builds into a beautiful coda. As the dust settles, an acoustic guitar comes in reprising the riff at the start of “Swing,” creating an eternal loop on which to listen to the record. It really fits well, adding to the motif of repetition, and makes sense for an album such as this — one that is more rewarding with each repeated listen.