TROPHY EYES - SUICIDE AND SUNSHINE
Trophy eyes have always been able to capture our hearts in heavy hitting lyrics and catchy riffs and their new album Suicide and Sunshine is no different. While feeling new and fresh there’s undertones of a sound from an old friend.
Being hit heavily with the struggles of COVID and not sure where the arts would sit in this new way of life, they wanted to give this album everything they had as what they might have thought was a last thank you. Frontman John Floreani pours every last drop of his incredible talent for expression into this record and the band match in talent giving us a real authentic album that will have you captivated and wanting more from the first to last note.
Opening the album with ‘Sydney’ an obvious nod to the bands roots in Australia, we hear those synth notes and are hit with a familiar voice that has us strapped in for a ride of emotions. Quickly moving into track two, ‘Life in Slow Motion’ there is a reminder that front man Floreani is no stranger to diving deep into the most raw and emotional parts of his life and lay them out in the lyrics that have a whole audience captivated and hanging on to every word. ‘People Like You’ is a heartfelt story of wanting to fit in while not having the correct tools to do so and being surrounded by those who seem to have those tools handed to them on a silver plate. Floreani states, “It’s me reflecting, and also firsthand memories of what was happening, like they’re staring at the holes in my shoes, and the embarrassment and desire to belong, and not understanding why you don’t,” it’s also a protest about what fitting in should be as he goes on to explain, “It’s like a protest against the idea of class and happy families.”
As ‘My Inheritance’ hits there is the reminder of the overarching theme of not fitting in and deep-rooted emotions. While Floreani continues to show emotional lyrics, there is also the talent of the band on show in this track with Black Caruso’s talent for the drum shining through alongside Jeremy Winchesters impeccable talent on bass a reminder that no genre will hold this band accountable and have a talent for creating beautiful tracks and hard-hitting riffs with raw talent.
Next track ‘Blue Eyed Blue’ being the first single released from this album and was a first look into this new era of the band. It is a familiar feeling of Floreani giving us an insight into some the darkest parts of his life, this track being a heavy hitting account of a friend being deep in a drug addiction but there being something that can still be saved, the track is one emotional ride and yet something you could get lost in and will have a crowd going hard for. ‘Runaway Come Home’ is another deeply emotional track about the distance between Floreani and his mother, with hard hitting lyrics, that are no stranger with this band, mixed with the talent of the band for their respective instruments this track will make you want to go and give someone you love deeply a huge hug and let them know you love them.
Having a break from the high energy tracks, whisper track, ‘Burden’ gives us a chance to catch our breath and appreciate the diversity of the genre hopping included in this album. It’s a slow emotional reminder of what this album is about and what Floreani calls “a morbidly honest account of some of my shitty behaviour, drinking myself into oblivion and struggling with addiction, and leaning on your friends and causing so much of a situation that you kind of run out of friends.” The next track is not letting up on the harrowingly deep emotional turmoil that is felt through the whole album and is in some ways a companion track to the last, ‘Sean’, is a slow and gentle account of the day frontman Floreani’s friend ended his life. Floreani wanted to write the truth about that day and the way he felt, “I wanted to make it cold and no hooks, so you didn’t know where the song was going and you felt lost.” This track will hit hard and show that the band continue to push all boundaries and not be tied to any of the norms that are sometimes felt when creating an album.
Picking the energy up again the second single from the album, ‘What Hurt the Most’ is yet another reminder of the talent of this band and the mix of deeply emotional lyrics while writing a catchy riff that will have you dancing in the middle of the mosh pit. Taking things in a slightly different direction ‘OMW’ hits hard with guitar riffs and somewhat happy lyrics that are laced with deep emotions, a reminder why Trophy Eyes are a band to pay attention too. Possibly the catchiest track of the album this song will be in your top played playlist in no time and will have you dancing alone in you room at 3am. Closing the track with synth notes again pushes those boundaries and keeping us captivated.
The third and latest single realised from this album ‘Kill’ is a hard-hitting track while covered with high energy musical talent. This track will have the crowd screaming the lyrics in a cathartic experience while appreciating the guitar riffs and just general talent shown here. Slowing things right down for ‘Sweet Soft Sound’ is a beautiful tribute to how precious life really is and those we get to spend it with should be appreciated. This track is stripped right back to remind us of the beauty of life and that nothing should be taken for granted.
The penultimate track ‘Stay Here,’ is yet another emotional deep dive into the mind of John Floreani and is another look at that feeling of not really fitting in and feeling that you haven’t done enough to show your worth. With heavy hitting drums mixed with organ notes that feel straight from an emotional church sermon, showing that the band yet again continue to defy genres and norms. The last track ‘Epilogue’ was originally to be a thank you from the band to the fans as they felt COVID had paved the end of the road for the arts and this was the last chance to give it everything with heavy messages such as “I hope I entertained you” and “all I wanted was to make all of you proud.” However, in the making of the album it soon became clear to the band that this would not be their final song nor record, the recording for this album reminded them why Trophy Eyes is so special to them and why they need to keep creating.
This album is a masterpiece that will have you crying tears of both joy and sadness. This band have so much talent and with every release that talent is only getting stronger. The emotional rawness that is on display will continue to separate the band from the norm and have a strong fan base that will sing along to the last note of every sweaty show. The name of the album Suicide and Sunshine is fitting to this emotional rollercoaster and something Floreani knows will be somewhat familiar to fans already as he states, “It’s the tragedy and the beauty of life. When we did Chemical Miracle, our second full length, the logo for the album was a palm tree and a noose. That’s literally suicide and sunshine. It’s always been there on my mind.” Trophy Eye’s fourth studio album Suicide and Sunshine is out June 23rd and is definitely an album you must check out and a band to keep an eye on if you haven’t already.
Christine Mckerlie
★★★★★