ALBUM REVIEW: Hypochondriac - The Frights

Album Review: Hypochondriac - The Frights

4.0/10

I suppose the best way to start this review is with honesty - The Frights, at one time in my life, were a contender for my favorite upcoming American band. Bold statement, but from 2013-2016 The Frights seemed perfectly positioned to lead a wave (HA) of surf punk and otherwise retro themed garage bands that played o-fi, high energy rock music with an admirable sense of irony as well as teenage abandon. Taking cues from bands like FIDLAR and Wavves (as well as a healthy amount of classic surf punk like The Cramps), The Frights put out a stunning self-titled debut album (as well as a few great EPs and splits), loaded with funny punk tunes and blistering performances. These songs had great lyrics, incredible energy, and a DIY feel that made them come off as remarkably sincere and charming. This was all done while playing to a variety of overblown doo-wop and surf cliches, but in a way that made them seem energetic and youthful rather than stagnant. The band also developed a stellar reputation as a live act, one that I can personally attest to being accurate. The Frights made what most of their fans regarded as their first misstep with their sophomore album, You Are Going To Hate This (this title being their actual last moment of self awareness). Though I was a fan of the record, many fans abhorred the direction they took with their sound, and for good reason. The age-old adage "don't meet your heroes" rang throughout the project, which was produced by FIDLAR's own Zac Carper. Carper's production style, which is primarily composed of glitchy, 90s esque electronic quirks and high gloss punk, completely 180'd the bands sound, turning them towards a more generic pop-punk sound, as well as making them sound more similar to the other bands in their scene, especially the ones Zac had also worked with such as SWMRS, Dune Rats, and his own band. I felt this change in sound worked for them, however. The production change still emphasized the band's energy and youthful spirit and I have always enjoyed Zac's combination of hi-fi and lo-fi elements. The reworks of fan-favorite singles "Puppy Knuckles" and "Tongues" (or "Tungs") were both interesting directions to take the songs and, despite the outrage of fans, did not erase or diminish the original singles. The tracks were so different that they were incomparable to their originals, just as The Frights as a unit were incomparable to their origin. 

Hypochondriac is the band's first album since You Are Going To Hate This, and it's uhhhhhhhh... it's not good. This album commits a litany of sins, all of which detract from the final product immensely, but it does a few things decently. It all sounds nice, for one. The production is solid, although it is 2018 and it would defy all logic for a band signed to Epitaph to not have access to that kind of technology. Zac Carper tunes down his production a bit here but is a co-writer on every song. Aside from that, the album does not have much going for it. "CRUTCH" is the record's only sign of vitals, but it is plagued by many of the album's other problems. "Over It" is easily the record's best song, and probably one of the better songs from the band as a whole. It is the only song on the album with a memorable melody, for one, and Zac's sugary production on the second half highlights that. The lyrics aren't anything special, and neither is any of the instrumentation, but it is probably the only song I would listen to more than once here. 

The biggest downfall of this record is its neutered, soft tone. "CRUTCH" being the exception, nothing here moves any faster than a retirement home scooter, with nothing added to the slowness (see: melodies, heaviness, intricate musicianship, humor, literally anything) to justify the shift in tempo (that is a fantastic music video, however). At times in the past, The Frights was a band that thrived purely on balls-to-the-wall energy. Their best examples of this were early hits, "Beach Porn" and "Crust Bucket." Both songs feature huge stop-start movements and quiet-loud dynamics and throat-shredding vocals. They feel tense and ready to start up a mosh pit at any moment. The band did not have the most talented musicians, the most introspective lyrics, or the most polished sound. The only selling point they had going for them was that it sounded like they were having even more fun playing the songs than you were having while listening to them. Nothing here sounds that fun. It sounds like as much of a slog to make as it does to listen to these songs. Generally, there is nothing on this record that touches any of their strengths. As mentioned, "CRUTCH" has the required energy but is missing the raw passion and gritty, unhinged feeling of their early tracks. At no point does the song feel like it could fall off the rails. It's fast, and that is still thrilling, but the sense of danger is missing. The rollercoaster is moving, and that in itself is entertaining, but you know it'll stay locked to the tracks. Nobody is gonna fall out on this one, no carts are gonna sail off the ride. Unfortunately, everything else on the record is largely forgettable, as far as the band's playing goes. 

Lyrically and melodically, this is easily the band's worst showing. Perhaps the lack of energy in both the playing and the singing causes many of these melodies to fall flat, but even taken out of context the only memorable chorus comes from "Over It." Everything else feels like a cheap pastiche of pop-punk or twangy country rock and without any energy or youthful idiocy behind them, these influences feel stale. Lyrically, the album ranges from Mikey's struggles with his mental health and state of mind (usually referencing a girl along the way) or skipping that nuance entirely and singing about the girl directly. Most of the lyrics are some form of low effort navel-gazing and a refusal to grow up despite being faced with it that attempts to balance their dejection with a sense of "isn't my life pathetic?' humor that pours out of each line so thickly that it quickly becomes old (and I mean 2-3 songs in quickly). The album could have benefitted greatly by thematically jumping a bit, and covering any other topics than being wistfully sad. 

If I had to guess, I would think that The Frights tried to mature on this record. Most of the bands in their scene have done it, but, they added something new or kept something old in the process. Twin Peaks lost their punk energy but replaced it with a sleazy, alluring wisdom. FIDLAR left most of their partying behind them but kept their energy and honed it into a nervous, sober guy at a shitty party type anger. together PANGEA found the 80s, Nathan Williams/Wavves turned into an elder statesman, Smith Westerns evolved into Whitney, and many of their peers have just stayed silent. The Frights just dropped the ball on growing up. A big part of it may have been that the band simply was not ready to grow up. A lot of the album's content belies their new maturity, especially in regards to past relationships. I remember seeing The Frights live in 2016, and late in the show, mid-song, singer/guitarist Mikey Carnevale called out the name of the girl the song was written about, the girl who broke his heart. It was petty, sure, but it was entertaining and not entirely unforgivable from a 20-something who was caught up in the moment. Now, when the record tries to get petty it feels like punching down, a relapse to their youth in the worst way. The band needs to pick a direction: grow up and be above it, or get in the muck and have some fun while you still can. Sitting in between shows that the band might not be in a good position to release any sort of record and needed a bit more time to figure themselves out before displaying their character on the album. Label demands (especially now that they are on a major label), fans, and money will get in the way of that process, and I can't help but feel like The Frights may have misjudged this album a bit when they recorded it (and that is perfectly okay). They are still young, developing musicians with a lot of room to grow in terms of skill and popularity in order to be at the levels of their peers, and even more so if they are no longer willing to out-hustle the field anymore. Hypochondriac sounds like the result of a band trying to grow up too fast, to be an adult before they are ready, trying to force being a grown-up when they know all they want is to have some fun. 

This all being said, I am still a fan of this band and am optimistic about their future. I think they have a lot of talent and charm and can easily push through this album. I suspect that many of their fans will enjoy this record and encourage them along a similar path. It just isn't my thing. Try this record out, definitely try out their earlier stuff, and continue to support this group, however you may feel about this record, because they are a great group of musicians with a bright future ahead of them. Growing up isn't always smooth, and The Frights will tell you just that.