Modern baseball was the opening act for the first show I ever saw, and while I was relatively unfamiliar with them by that point, the show had an incredible atmosphere, then and there I could tell they had something special in their formula.
Brendan Lukens, Jake Ewald, Sean Huber, and Ian Farmer have been releasing some of the catchiest, most heartfelt indie rock/pop-punk music in the scene since 2011. Their debut, "Sports" displayed a truly stellar batch of catchy, relatable songs, however, it was their follow up "You're Gonna Miss It All" that started to gain them some serious momentum, especially with the success of songs like "Your Graduation"
The record's success, as well as their frequent touring schedule, gained them a cult following, however, success doesn't always equate to happiness, a short documentary was posted in April in which it was revealed that co-vocalist/guitarist Brendan Lukens was dealing with severe anxiety/depression.
Their prior ep, "The Perfect Cast" was a bit darker and more complex lyrically than their first two records and the hardships the band members were going through in their personal lives would seem to be the cause. With their new record "Holy Ghost" there's been a lot of speculation as to what direction they would take, so with all the formalities and background information out of the way lets just dive right into my review of the newest release from Philadelphia natives Modern Baseball.
Let's just clarify that despite these personal changes for the band members, this album stays in familiar territory musically. Whereas "You're Gonna Miss It All" sounded like a band just starting to get their feet on the ground Holy Ghost sounds confident and self-aware.
The eponymously titled opening song is a sparse, emotional song, compared to the angstier nature of songs like chlo3k or fine, great, the track is a solid introduction to this new side of the band, it also has a nice segway into the next song. While "The Wedding Singer" is a punchy power-pop song, the album occasionally lacks the same energy as the band's prior output.
That's not to say they sound burned out or tame, they clearly have the same omnipresent passion for the music they're making. The album is much more of a traditional emo record than their previous records, clearly taking influence from bands like American Football while keeping the energetic sound that attracted so many people to them in the first place.
It sounds like a band progressing past the bad times, and recovering from their own personal struggles. If you enjoyed their previous efforts
or in general just want to an easily accessible, emotionally resonant pop punk record I would recommend "Holy Ghost".
Standout Tracks: Everyday, Apple Cider , I Don't Mind
Overall Rating: 4/5
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