Getting multiple Grammy nominations with your first major label showing can put a lot of pressure on a band. Will the follow-up live up to the hype of its predecessor? Can the momentum build? In the case of Massachusetts Rock outfit Highly Suspect, they found themselves in this exact scenario after the release of their first studio album Mister Asylum, and a breakout hit single “Lydia.” The band – made up of twin brothers Rich Meyer (bass, backing vocals) and Ryan Meyer (drums, backing vocals), Matt Kofos (guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals), and Johnny Stevens (guitar, lead vocals) – was an instant success with all the perks and pressure that come with it. While nothing since then has matched the runaway success of 2015’s Mister Asylum, the band has remained consistent, releasing three other albums in the interim. Now, they are back at it with their latest release, As Above, So Below set for release July 19th on Roadrunner/300/Elektra.
With an album title like “As Above, So Below” the implication of equity is heavy. A title like that gives way to an implied balance, like whatever happens on the higher realm also happens on the lower. This logic applied to Highly Suspect’s latest venture could be interpreted many different ways, but it seems there was an effort made to make this album a balance of their last two efforts. For critics, this means a return to the sound that gained them favor with Mister Asylum. The songs on this album are eclectic, energetic, and often lyrically dark. Opening with “Summertime Voodoo,” the album begins on an upbeat tale of motorcycle misadventure with some Classic Rock reminiscent string work courtesy of Kofos, Stevens, and Schwartz. It is a catchy, rhythmic opener with serious undertones and an oddly placed throwaway Outkast reference. “The Blue-Eyed Devil” showcases some more of their blues influence. Here we get a variety of techniques and tricks that create a sonic journey of intrigue. “Mexico” is an ambitious good-time track with scratchy riffs and an underlying groove that makes it easy to get swept up in. The inclusion of some Spanish guitar sounds in the bridge and Stevens’ use of Spanish in the lyrics give it a wild, bonfire-side jam session appeal.
“Melatonia” is seemingly the emo twin to 2016’s The Boy Who Died Wolf track “Serotonia.” It is slow, somber, and morose before opening up at the midpoint. There is something sweeping and captivating about the track as it picks you up for this gentle ride only to drop you after a torrent of percussion and emotion. “The Reset” is an instrumental track with a casual snap and infectiousness to it a little over halfway through the record and does little to add or advance the vibe or narratives that precede it. If you’re the type that just likes to listen to jam bands or warmups, then this one’s for you.
Conversely, “Run For Your Death (More Pills)” kicks things back into gear with piercing screams and an up-tempo pacing and percussion that gives it a bounciness that seems counterintuitive to the self-destructive lyrics. You don’t want to be singing along because it is so lyrically depressing, but the orchestration and arrangement are so catchy that it is an instant earworm. “Champagne At Our Funeral” is similar in this way in that it references heavy topics like break -ups, heartbreak, and self-harm, but the Meyer brothers’ rhythm section creates the heartbeat that drives this track and makes it easy to approach.
Closing things out are “The 8th of October (To August 17th)” and “Then Mickey 2,” the former of which is a soulful lamentation of regret, heartbreak, and longing. It’s emotional, raw, and honest. Unlike the rest of the album, there is no imaginative storytelling, just exposed nerves and vulnerability. This should have been where the album ended, but the actual final track is “Then Mickey 2”- a seven-minute mostly instrumental with occasional ghostly whispers and exclamations that crescendos before fading to its conclusion. A fizzle compared to the emotional impact of its neighbor.
A good song or good album is like a good recipe: sometimes the ingredients seem misplaced but there is a method to the madness and if you trust the process, it might be delicious. The same applies here. Sure there are some ingredients (songs) that feel out of place, but overall it creates a roadmap for fans to find their way through the song maze that is As Above, So Below. Seemingly touching back to their roots and revisiting the sound that gained them notoriety, Highly Suspect has created an avant-garde, pseudo-depressive showpiece that challenges the conventions of what makes “good” art and what makes art with a voice.
Is the whole album a knockout, no, but art is subjective and it’s hard to not perceive this album as another kind of performance art. An exercise in creative license with a focus on expression rather than beauty in the work. It is not meant to be pretty, it is meant to be experienced and interpreted for yourself. It is whatever you take from it. Cryptic Rock gives As Above, So Below 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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