Basement Album Review WIRED
WIRED by Basement (Review)
Written by Liam M. Hennessey
Few bands are more emblematic of modern post-hardcore than Basement. Whether it’s their crisp production or emotionally driven lyrics, Basement has had immense influence on punk that can’t be overlooked.
They’ve returned after seven and a half years, a gap almost twice as long as their typical break between projects. What does such a seminal band for the 2010s post-hardcore scene have to say with their first statement of the 2020s? They proved without a shadow of a doubt that the space they’ve carved as post-hardcore vanguards is entirely deserved.
To say Basement writes emotionally charged music would be accurate, but still woefully inadequate. Their entire catalog has been nothing short of generational art celebrating the vast ranges of emotion. Of course, as with most post-hardcore and emo music, there is an expectation to deal out devastation.
On WIRED, Basement delivers a project perfect for a drive on a rainy day, or for days when one might as well be surgically attached to their mattress. It’s all-encompassing, not just through the lyricism, but perhaps most importantly through the soundscape carved by the instrumentation.
The tones on the record are dark, dreary, bleak, and heavy. Given those descriptors, one wouldn’t also expect high octane energy and blazingly fast riffs as well, but there is no compromise on either vision here. On the surface, one might expect a clash of contradictory palates, but instead, there is a pairing that enhances the project's emotional depth. One of the mid-album tracks, Embrace, is a phenomenal example of not just this songwriting in practice, but its lyricism as well.
The frontman of Basement, Andrew Fisher, has a writing style on this record that is generally best represented by these highlights: the pent up anxiety on Pick Up The Pieces, the sublime plutonian poetry on Broken By Design, and the straightforward sadness of Embrace. While some may consider the vocals and instrumentation to be the general high point of most of Basement’s music, the gut wrenching lines definitely add to the broader picture in an irreplaceable way. Some of the best lyrics that represent this balance between poetic imagery and brutal honesty are, “Covered in conversation, there's no need for concern. We stumble over sensation, so that truth will not be heard.”
Basement is a masterclass for acts looking to make a successful comeback. It maintains the core identity they’ve cultivated throughout the years while also adapting to progressions in the genre. It simultaneously sounds modern, of their time, and timeless. Best of all, it manages to do this without the listener even noticing that it shouldn't make sense.
WIRED is not just a fantastic ambassador of punk at the moment, but also a model for how punk will shape in the future. In the words of Refused, bring on the new noise.
