I stumbled across Dead Poet Society on my YouTube recommended feed when I saw their .CoDA. music video. It hooked me in quite quickly with a uniquely groovy riff and catchy vocal melodies, and just like that, the band was on my radar. I liked the album on Spotify and finally came back to it another day, and found myself with a unique flavour of alternative rock to soak in.
I haven't listened to a lot of alt rock records, so I don't have much of a baseline, but as records go, it was a sufficiently engaging experience front to back. Between spoken word interludes, energetic rock pieces and haunting ballads, there's a sizeable portion of quality served in this album. Standout cuts like .CoDA., .intoodeep. and .burymewhole. channel the more intense and passionate side of the band, while deeper cuts like .haunted. and I Never Loved Myself Like I Love You put the softer, rawer and more vulnerable side of them on display. There's also a bit of experimentation sprinkled throughout the tracklist with .SALT. and .lovemelikeyoudo., diversifying their sound immensely.
There's something quite fun about the way they write music, even if it's not the most life-changing thing in the world. They have every facet of writing solidly locked down, and it's apparent there's a lot of personality injected into the songs. Despite it's more barebones styling, mostly devoid of additional electronic or non-live elements, they manage to keep things sonically diverse and vibrant for the majority of the tracklist.
I have to admit, it's a bit of a hit or miss for some of the songs, but the hits hit hard, and the misses are at most generic, nowhere near bad. I have found myself cherrypicking favourites from this record after my initial soaking in the record, but I cannot deny that they built an album experience that's worth experiencing in full, and that I did enjoy riding through.
The deluxe edition didn't bring too much new to the table, humbly presenting the usual stripped, live and remix additions. There was a remastered edition of an old single of theirs which didn't really stand out to me, but the Jordan Fish remix did catch my eye. It's cool to see that Bring Me The Horizon's electronic and production mastermind is not only aware of Dead Poet Society but found one of their songs interesting enough to remix, and the remix is fun.
Maybe my opinion will change as I listen to more of alternative rock and start to get a sense of what's valued and essential to the genre, but as it currently stands, -!- is a record that stands out from 2021. Whether it's the stylistic choices in song titles and general aesthetic or the musical identity they've built, it's a record I come back to every now and then for a good time.
Rating: 7/10
