album: i'm so glad i feel this way about you! - insignificant other
Whether it’s the one with yourself or someone else, relationships are practically impossible to fully understand. Thankfully, insignificant other understands the struggle and chronicles the ups, downs, and repeat viewings of comforting pop culture (in this case Heathers) that are needed to get through life.
Opening with a short, and sweet, title track that celebrates and hopes for something good for someone that’s no longer part of your life, the remainder of i’m so glad I feel this way about you! plays out in similar confessional fashion. Remember when you would leave your friends and then immediately log onto AIM to discuss and rehash what you just went over? This album plays out like those intense, and at times adorable, conversations you shared with a bestie.
From the swaying spunk of “heathers,” which has vocalist Sim Morales contemplating making a call during another viewing of the film, to the energetic fuzz and snarled delivery of “don’t @ me devin,” the release is one of relatable musings on relationships, life, and navigating your way through whatever each day brings.
While much of the record has Morales, Keith K, and Stevie Wills creating personable garage pop filled with a touch of attitude, the album does have its moment of simplicity and surprisingly quiet reflection. Take for instance, “freya,” a song that nearly sounds like it was pulled from another record; another version of insignificant other. The track begins with dreamy, ringing synths and vocals that near a whisper. The moment then swells, with the synths clamoring like bells, and the band delving into heartbreak. “bitter sweetness” also draws from another place, relying on a complementary haze of guitars and vocals that reaches a boiling point near its conclusion and rushes to a finish with a swirling hurricane of strings, vocals, and emotion.
At its conclusion, the band presents a reprise of its title track that opened the album, and this time, it’s slowed just a touch, and features some percussion that sounds pulled from a cartoon. It’s a final shouted declaration, one last reminder of growth, and perhaps a signal that eventually we’ll all arrive at a place where we can feel better about the decisions we once made, especially when it comes to matter of the heart.