Missio – The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man
hello folks! we’re returning to our Missio review this week with their second full-length record, The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man, released in 2019.
Underground is a really solid opener – got some really neat moments here, and i dig the chorus a lot. Temple Priest is not my style. the heavier “drops” into the synths are a style im just not super into, and i think the vocal delivery on this track aint my fave of Matthew Brue’s styles. the guest verses here from Paul Wall and Kota the Friend are solid – i think Paul delivers a strong pair between the two, tbh. Rad Drugz is quite fun. really like the bleary synth tones here in the intro and behind the choruses – its like theyve been sonically smeared across the walls of the song. speaking of the choruses – big fan of those as well. theyre anthemic and catchy, but function as a moment of clarity to a lot of the drudgery on the verses. dig this song a lot. I See You is a much more tender song. v nice track, and i like the way the track expands as it comes into the chorus. that being said – an odd choice to immediately follow Rad Drugz. i feel like im being unnecessarily picky about P.O.L.I.T.I.C.S.. i really dig most of the chorus, and i like how it transitions out of the verses into the choruses, but MAN i dont like the way they do the spelling out thing with the “P.O.L.I.T.I.C.S.” in the chorus. i enjoy it a fair bit outside that. Dizzy’s fairly catchy, ngl. feels one of the most Loner-like of the songs here, and i think it does the dubsteppier stuff more to my taste than Temple Priest does. Misfit Lunatic, however, isnt really my style. it feels like its doing for the defiant humor like Middle Fingers, but its just not landing for me. Audi A4 DOES nail that kinda “ehhhh fuck it lets do some self-destruction” energy for me. it is very funny after Middle Fingers did mention how he was fine with his Kia. Shimmy goes for a more straightforward execution of a darker party song – the guest verse from Blackillac is p good but im not super into the track overall. Do You Still Love Me Like You Used To?, which features vocals from The Wind and The Wave, drops a lot of the heavier and moodier sounds. p pleasant song. Black Roses brings a defiant look at the narrator’s parents. the title track, The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man, definitely feels like a capstone to the record, asserting that hard times are a part of what shaped him into the person he is. not a sentiment i agree with in all situations but i think the lead up to this explains where he’s coming from. Esperanza En La Oscuridad provides an instrumental outro, bringing things to a mellow close.
faves – Underground, Rad Drugz, Audi A4
dislikes –
i had to go back and listen to Loner after a few listens here – i felt v nonplussed by that record and had a sizeably better time here, and i wasnt certain if it was a tone thing, a musical styling thing, or if i was just in the wrong mood (always possible). i think broadly, this record’s willing to move a bit further afield musically than Loner did, and while that means it drifted into territory i like a bit more often i do think it results in a stronger track for many of these songs.
thematically, i think this tread some interesting ground as well, focusing more on the turbulent path of recovery and seld-improvement, while not shying away from some of that brattiness that was fun on the first record.
on the whole, pretty fun, and definitely makes me interested to see where they go from here.
The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man – 6/10
next up, it’s 2020’s Can You Feel the Sun!
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