Reserver isn’t some new band in the Chicago scene: Real indie heads from the city might recognize a few of its band members from a previous post-punk incarnation, The Laureates. From 2005 to 2018, that former band enjoyed some modest success; however, bandmate Chad Preston had to step away to care for his wife Kerri, who had been diagnosed with cancer. For Preston, music became a way to cope. And when Kerri sadly passed in 2022, working on the songs became a way to heal.
The songs that Preston crafted during that time became what you hear on Reserver’s debut self-titled album. In 2024, Preston regrouped with Laureates bandmates Adam Penly and Crawfie Ward, along with Dan Wendt of Moon Mannequin (another Laureates spinoff). It was actually Ward who urged Preston to record the material, and that plus the formation of the band gave Preston a new appreciate for the music. Preston says: “The record started as a way for me to process a difficult period and get these songs out of my head. But once the band came together, it became something bigger—a way to turn a really heavy experience into something loud, communal, and alive.”
All three of those adjectives—loud, communal, and alive—perfectly describe Reserver’s new album. Preston’s and Penly’s guitars don’t hold back when it comes to volume or fuzz, although the mixing keeps everything listenable: The tone is similar to Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr. Preston’s voice hangs out in the lower register, giving off vibes of Dave Vanian of The Damned or even Ian Curtis. That really comes through on a track like “Server”, which is chock full of sounds like you’d hear from early Joy Division. Ward’s bass takes a high melodic tone like Peter Hook’s, and Wendt’s drums keep time like a well-tuned watch. (The band likens “Server” more to The Who playing a Spacemen 3 song, if you’d rather use their description.)
The cathartic sound of the songs on Reserver match their lyrical content: Preston used these songs as a way to get through a difficult period. Tracks like “Heart is a Bomb” (which we’ve covered) grapple with the fleeting nature of life, how at any minute we can stop ticking: “Yesterday’s papers uncovered the plot / Conclusion is coming, ready or not / The gods didn’t download your prayers or your thoughts / Sooner or later you’re here then you’re not.” It’s a great track to introduce the album’s themes of mortality and grief.
But as the album progresses, it becomes clear that Reverser isn’t about wallowing in the darkness: It’s about processing it and growing from it. While “Spirit Fauna” sounds like a collection of non sequiturs, it serves as a reminder that all humans are animals at the end of the day, offering the suggestion that we are no more immortal than the squirrels or birds on the sidewalk. On “Oh Me”, Preston runs through the emotions of living with someone living with a disease, noting the drag of disintegration and annihilation for both parties. But also on “Oh Me”, Preston sings “In this universe, you’re the only one” at the end of the final choruses, in order to note that caring for an ailing lover takes priority over everything else, despite its difficulty.
And why not take those things to heart? “Server” asks that question in its final verse: “When your loved ones are all long gone / And you’re staring into the sun / Remember you’re the only one / That keeps their memory in your blood.” It forces you to consider the importance of being there for others, not just during their lives but after them, so that they can live on in memory and spirit if not in physical form. Who will hold onto those memories after you? Who will hold onto your memory when your time comes? The intensity of the music on “Server” emboldens the question, boring itself into your head like a philosophical drill bit.
That theme of memory comes through in “Creams”, the final track on the album, which remarks on clinging to nostalgia while the future closes in. It’s very easy to return to remembering the good old days while our bodies wither and time has its way with us. Preston sings: “This thing is all the rage, sensational today; do you remember? / We soldier on to lose, there’s nothing more to do; don’t you remember?” The lyrics seem to resign to fate, as in each chorus, Preston comments on the futility of life, no matter how much one tries to extend it: “I see the future surround you / You know it was bound to”.
Despite this futile tone, Reserver’s music isn’t trying to say everything is bleak or pointless. On the contrary, the purging of these emotions helps to part the grey clouds of grief and allow a little sunlight to peek through. Through reuniting with old bandmates, Preston was able to further process his loss and make beautiful music out of them, honoring not only his wife but himself. The final track comments on memory: Through these songs, Reserver literally reserves – or holds onto – thoughts of everyone they’ve lost, and pours that grief into their performance.
The result: A beacon of light for anyone who needs music to heal. Reserver formed in order to provide a great avenue for Preston’s healing, and from there, they’ve released a work for all who grieve to experience together. No one should have to go through grief alone.
Take a listen to “Server” from Reserver below.
Written by Will Sisskind
