Modern Baseball’s sophomore release, You’re Gonna Miss It All, is not a brilliantly crafted work of art. Heck, the guitar/vocals duo of Brendan Lukens and Jake Ewald really aren’t that technically good at singing. It is clear Modern Baseball don’t write beautifully composed and arranged pieces of music and that this album will probably never make a ‘best of’ list.
With that being said, don’t write this record off for a second. YGMIA is a perfect snapshot of the present through the mind of a 21-year-old university student. It is worried and reflective and sarcastic and reckless, but most of all it is just trying to figure out who the hell it wants to be.
YGMIA opens with Fine, Great and the lyrics, “I hate worrying about the future because all my current problems are based around the past”, kicking off a half hour run of bitingly honest reminiscing. While the band still sounds fresh, Modern Baseball have definitely shrugged off some of the awkward inexperience that was so prominent on their 2012 debut Sports. Through the experimentation and growth that has taken place between the two releases, this band have obviously honed their craft.
While the transformation isn’t flawless, it is apparent. At its core this record is typical pop-punk but it is the combination of other genres and styles that really stand out, especially when they are so well-honed on key tracks. YGMIA is chock full of soft, stripped-back acoustic openings, strongest on tracks like album closer Pothole. The album also expands the pop-punk sound into the realms of folk and indie, at times completely dissolving itself into the latter; Going to Bed Now is the perfect example of this.
Rock Bottom is the record’s ultimate winner.Its upbeat, boppy instrumentation contrasted with the monotone, almost spoken vocals, and its sheer honesty and balance between the power-pop, indie and pop-punk elements flashed throughout the record combine to create one of the most memorable tracks by far.
You’re Gonna Miss It All is simple, honest storytelling at its most youthful. It is brash, it is sentimental but it’s pretty damn fun.
BY GLORIA BRANCATISANO
Best Track: Rock Bottom
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE WONDER YEARS, THE FRONT BOTTOMS
In A Word: Honest
