Lyric Of The Week 86: 2040

"Violent, manic, fatal pressure."

Johnny Booth - 2040, from the album Moments Elsewhere

Album: Johnny Booth - Moments Elsewhere [2023]

Johnny Booth very quickly shaped up to be one of the most interesting heavy releases of the year after I caught the singles, and I was pretty excited to get into it when it finally released. Despite being a chaotic blend of hardcore and metalcore, there was something surprisingly enticing and catchy about their music, one that I was hoping to get more of.

Moments Elsewhere turns out to be as surprising as the singles. The blend of melodic metalcore elements and heavy hardcore elements continue to intrigue me, and the directions some of the songs go were really unexpected.

When it comes to heavy, they absolutely delivered. 2040 is a punch that never stops punching, short but relentless, Ring Light Altar is a rager that never stops with its flaming sardonicism, No Comply has some seriously sinister breakdowns and an unforgiving fury to it, and Modern Dialogue is a perfect sludgefest to close out the album. Their dynamicism in heavy territory is unmatched, able to build effective moments and remain interesting in a realm many others fail to.

What I didn't expect was such a strong presence of melodic elements in the album. Why Becomes How is a full song of cleans and a shoegaze-like soundscape reminiscent of Loathe, a standout in a very unexpected way. Beyond that, many other moments in the record boast a melodic flavour, like the intermission of Only By Name, the surreal chorus of The Ladder, the tastefully dissonant sing-scream chorus of Gatekeeper, and the unbelievably catchy chorus of Bright Future. For every memorable heavy moment, there's a melodic one to match.

Given where they stand of the heavy music spectrum, it's easy for bands where they are to get lost in the masses of other bands looking to sound the same, but Moments Elsewhere manages to stand out, no doubt due to a perfect combination of stellar writing, quality production work and unrivalled performance. I found myself coming back to it way more than I thought I would, putting the record on even when I couldn't put a finger on what exactly I wanted to hear.

Johnny Booth has definitely hit it out of the ballpark with this one. Despite not having heard them before, they sold it for me in a matter of months, earning my earnest interest in just one album cycle. Moments Elsewhere is definitely making it onto the year end lists, and one that will stay on rotation for time to come.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. 2040

2. Collapse in the Key of Fireworks

3. Full Tilt

4. The Ladder

5. The Mirror

6. Only by Name

7. Why Becomes How

8. Ring Light Altar

9. Gatekeeper

10. No Comply

11. Bright Future

12. Modern Dialogue

Song: Johnny Booth - Full Tilt [Moments Elsewhere, 2023]

I caught the Johnny Booth hype train off of bogdanhxc, and after the first two singles I was honestly quite intrigued and started following the album cycle. Right up until the album dropped, Full Tilt remained my favourite of the singles, and even know it might be my favourite off the album.

Johnny Booth has this more progressive kind of hardcore at their disposal, one that they blend with elements of metalcore. Full Tilt is the best example of that off the record, complete with electronic synths and intermissions, anthemic sing-scream passages, and a sizeable number of sections in a very non-conventional song structure.

There's this electronic sample going on for the intro, and it's pretty long, but I think it sets the tone surprisingly well. After that, they get straight into the riffing, which could very well be pure modern metalcore work, and the vocals are sublime. Straight cutthroat screaming with a very robust timbre. The drumming is intense yet dynamic, and the guitarwork is bouncy and chaotic, making for a super fun, restless and relentless soundscape.

Throughout the song, they dip up and down a lot with their energy levels, making use of calmer transition sections coloured with clean arpeggios, hi hat barrages and smooth synth chords. There's a pretty sizeable intermission going into the final section that boasts a different synth melody of the same sample from the start, soft reverb-drenched vocals roaming the back and ambient dialogue, and I actually do really love how the calmer soundscapes sound and how they contrast the louder ones.

I found they way they juxtapose the harsh vocal lines on top of guitar lead lines very interesting, because it creates this illusion of a vocal melody for me. I remember thinking that the line "it's the room that's in a constant spin" felt like it had melody to it, and then going back to it and realising it didn't. Their vocalist has pretty good control, I'll commend that, being able to traverse the minute differences of the gradient between sing-screaming and pure screaming.

Their hardcore roots are evident, seeing that rhe breakdowns are simply ruthless. Low-tuned guitars and tasteful production work amp up the impact of these chugs, not to mention great buildups and callouts. Although their breakdowns are pretty simple, I think their production work and tight musicianship gives it some novelty and keeps it from running into genericism.

Full Tilt overtook Collapse in the Key of Fireworks very quickly as my favourite song from them when it released. Even now, there's a lot to love about Full Tilt for its diverse soundscape, even with Moments Elsewhere finally out and killing it. Johnny Booth has definitely been a surprise for this year, and I'm glad to have had this song hook me in and keep me interested for the album release.

Rating: 4.5/5

"Moments Elsewhere" Album Cover