Tiny Moving Parts is an unconventional Minnesotian family band — two brothers and a cousin — and their new album, breathe, blesses our ears with emo goodness. If you’re a fan of the band’s earlier releases, don’t worry, because elements of math rock still linger in their new mature sound. I’ve had breathe on repeat for days now, and I think the reason for that is because it mixes the hard sounds of 2014’s Pleasant Living and the softer sounds of 2018’s Swell seamlessly; creating a best-of-both-worlds situation.
This is, astoundingly, the trio’s sixth studio album — but their first with Los Angeles based label Hopeless Records. With ten impactful songs, the 31-minute record truly packs an emotional punch. One of my favorite things about this record that struck a chord with me from the beginning was the juxtaposition of fun and catchy melodies with dark lyrics assessing everything from a loved one’s death to the pointlessness of greeting cards. Additionally, lead vocalist Dylan Mattheisen always seems to showcase a toothy grin while shouting his gloomy choruses over robust drum beats sent from a handlebar-mustache-wearing Bill Chevalier.
The album begins with a fitting track for the boys, titled, “The Midwest Sky”, an incredibly vocally intense look at love, loss, and letting go. Dylan does an incredible job sustaining a compelling narrative for this song in particular. Within the chorus he croons, “A small portion would make me feel I was worth something / I want to exist in your heart just a little bit / Exist in your heart just a little bit”. He’s not asking for much with this simple request, but this simple request feels like the world when accompanied with his gut-wrenching melodies.
“Medicine” is the second track on the album, and also stands out, as it is a particularly dark track that discusses the death of a loved one. The listener gets carried through the stages of grief as Dylan sings, “I need psychologic paralyzing medicine / To forget who I am”.
“Vertebrae” is a track that cannot be skipped, if only for its use of a banjo in the song’s second half. I love this slight creative risk the band took with the additional (and unusual) instrumentation; it certainly pays off in my eyes. The banjo also adds a bit of lightheartedness to a situation that depicts breaking things off with a significant other.
In “Polar Bear”, we find the protagonist trying to support a friend going through the anguish of drug addiction. The chorus, “Sickening, but you have to deal with it / Sickening, and you have to move on as I do too” is a reminder that this is a battle fought by a number of people who love and care for the suffering individual.
Track number six is “Bloody Nose”, and the boys do a great job once again blending heavier instrumentals here, as it starts off slow until the drums and guitar finally kick in. Tracks eight and nine, “Soft Spot” and “I Can’t Shake” respectively, are probably two of my favorite songs on the entire album. I love these songs because they feature soft yet powerful guest vocals from Kelc Galluzzo, vocalist of Ohio band Jetty Bones and Dylan’s current partner. This isn’t the first time the two artists have collaborated, as Kelc’s vocal melodies add a welcomed calming presence to Dylan’s pronounced and spontaneous shouts.
The album closer, “Hallmark”, discusses the popularity and formality of gifting cards to a loved one during a trying time in an effort to “aid” in their recovery, but realizing that these small pieces of paper really don’t do much to lessen the burden of those suffering. Cards can’t heal, fix, or mend, and it’s in this final song that we’re reminded Tiny Moving Parts never likes to keep anything buried in their art. Their cards are always on the table.
breathe rivals Swell in terms of my favorite Tiny Moving Parts record. Dylan, Bill, and Matt do an exceptional job dealing with pain and grief in a realistic way, and they also showcase their restraint and maturity as ever-evolving musicians. The boys certainly do not disappoint this time around, and I can’t wait to catch them on tour later this fall with Standards and fredo disco.
