prom night massacre is the brainchild of 26-year-old Toronto-based songwriter Vincent Crawford. Already a seasoned songwriter – he’s been writing for 10 years and has released hundreds of songs under a variety of pseudonyms.
‘I can’t hold on to anything’ is prom night massacre’s new 7-track album.
Things move quickly from track to track (all are comfortably under 3 minutes long). The production has a character all its own – it fully embraces tonal friction, with a recurring dissonance that gives the album a slightly uneasy tension, while still featuring great melodies and grooves. There is an authentic, unrefined edge to the production, which makes it feel really organic and heartfelt.
‘avoidance’ starts things off, and – despite the light and breezy opening – is an intense track with a rat-a-tat hi-hat and a slightly dissonant wall of sound that feels a little disorientating. There’s an excited energy that is barely contained.
‘yr unbelievable’ has a very cool vocal which is sat back in the mix with a lush, silky smooth tone. I loved the main riff, which seems to come in at an angle – it gives the track an extra dimension and subtly changes the rhythm of the track.
‘see u again’ has a simple arrangement that lets the song shine through. There’s another highly unique vocal with a relaxed, nonchalant delivery. I thought I could detect some audio clipping at certain points, but this actually lends the track an honest, raw texture—a recurring theme throughout the album.
‘believer’ slows things down and hits a little harder with its fuzzy guitars, throbbing bass and angular riffs. A unique sound for sure, with a healthy dose of dissonance – but despite this, it is probably one of the more accessible grungy/shoegaze-type tracks on the album – and it has a wonderfully catchy main riff.
‘break up song’ strips things right back with a gentle, tender melody mirrored by the vocals & clean guitar. This one glows with an innocent warmth.
‘eternity’, with its satisfying descending chord progression, almost feels like we are sitting in on a casual jam between takes as it rides the relaxed and spontaneous groove.
‘doomed’ – the shortest track on the album – closes things out with a light, almost happy-go-lucky sung hook, and a nicely regimented groove – an intriguing contrast to the more defeatist lyrics! A bit more of that clipping adds to the no-nonsense, bedroom-pop, DIY atmosphere.
And there we have it! There is plenty of light and shade across the 7 tracks, which (to my mind) touch on themes of belief and spirituality. They each share a common, raw honesty and have a stripped-down sincerity that makes it feel like we’ve uncovered a rare gem—an indie treasure hidden deep inside some forgotten record shop.
‘I can’t hold on to anything’ is out now.
Written by Grubby
