Trophy Eyes - "Suicide and Sunshine"
Concentrated emotional turmoil for when you need to feel something
Trigger Warning: Suicide and Depression
Yes, the TW is absolutely necessary. This album hits HARD, especially on “Sean”.
More on that in a moment. First, let’s discuss Trophy Eyes more broadly.
This is an Australian Punk Rock and Emo band formed in 2013. And it’s painfully clear that they drew a lot of inspiration from the emo bands of the 00s. The friend who recommended this one said that the album scratched that itch thoroughly, and he wasn’t lying.
The whole album deals with heartbreak and loss, and most of the album distills those broader topics into the more focused topics of depression and suicide. Several songs deal specifically with the subject of seeing your friends suffer through depression. “Sean”, above, is about the loss of a friend to suicide and wrestling with the guilt that follows.
Musically, there are some bomb melodies here - literally and metaphorically. There’s something beautiful about a really gorgeous song exploding into raw, screaming emotion when it’s well-done.
And Trophy Eyes does it well.
Part of this involves really raw screams. Vocalist John Floreani pours himself into those moments. As much as I don’t enjoy harsh vocals, I can recognize when they’re done well. And their usage here is effective.
Despite the thoroughly crippling material the album grapples with, many songs actually sound bright. In fact, their Spotify bio just says “Sad songs disguised as happy songs”.
There are a few of these, such as “Life in Slow Motion”, “Blue Eyed Boy”, and “Runaway, Come Home”. “Epilogue”, the album’s closer, is the brightest song, as it barely touches on any of the sadder subject matter, and is really a tribute to the fans.
It’s a really nice balance that the album strikes - leaning so hard on all of this heavy, emotional material, yet not leaving the listener totally depressed by the end.
It’s a really enjoyable listen. The average song length is right at what I would consider the minimum, but that’s helped greatly by “Sean” having a five-minute length - it’s the only one that breaks four minutes. And only a third-ish of the songs fail to hit the three minute mark.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this album to anybody who is looking for some good emo vibes or needs something heavy and emotional. I would also challenge anybody who dislikes all harsh vocals (screams and growls) to give this one a try. This album is a great argument for the middle ground.
Rating: Teal Blue