Idaho – ‘Lapse’ album review: a lazy rehashing of slowcore monotony
THE SKINNY: Nostalgia is an easy thing to market in the modern age, as people become increasingly disenfranchised by the disappointment of the modern world. Selling people’s own youth back to them has become big business for many industries, and the world of music is certainly not free from the shackles of nostalgia. This probably goes some way to explaining Lapse, the first album to be released by 1990s slowcore rockers Idaho in 13 years, which seems to ignore any and every musical development to have occurred between now and 1993.
Initially formed in 1992 by Jeff Martin, Idaho were instrumental in the establishment of slowcore indie rock. With this distinctly slow and melancholic rock, the band – of which Martin has been the only constant member – found themselves right at home within the indie scene of the early 1990s. As their discography progressed, however, Idaho showed either an unwillingness or an inability to adapt their sound to the changing musical landscape. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, Idaho suffers from their music now sounding incredibly dated and, frankly, dull. Lapse is a prime example of this idea, offering very little in the way of variety or new ideas, despite the album reportedly being two years in the making.
In fairness to Idaho, the confusingly Californian outfit have amassed a pretty dedicated cult following over the years. For this very specific demographic, Lapse probably comes as a long-awaited gift, imbued with all the characteristics and sounds of Idaho that audiences have become accustomed to. If you are already a fan of Idaho and their signature sound, you will probably enjoy this record. However, the issue with taking such a long hiatus before returning with an album that sounds virtually the same as your previous work is that it does little to entice any new listeners or build excitement for potential future releases down the line.
Another issue with Lapse, which is reflective of a growing problem within the music world as a whole, is that this album does not feel as though it was intended to be listened to in full. When listening to Lapse track-by-track, it becomes painfully obvious how similar every song is, and the generic slowcore sound becomes incredibly dragging. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with an album being a vehicle for one or two stand-out tracks, it speaks to a disappointing disregard for the art of album construction and composition.
For fans of: Living relentlessly in the past and bemoaning the state of modern music while simultaneously refusing to listen to any band that came out after 1995.
A concluding comment from an imagined Liam Gallager: “I don’t see the problem. I have been pretending the 1990s never ended for the past two decades, and people still listen… for some reason. As you were.”
Lapse track-by-track:
Release Date: May 31st | Producer: Bill Sanke | Label: Arts & Crafts
‘Kamikaze’: Viewed in isolation, this is a pretty enjoyable slowcore track, the kind of atmosphere that Idaho first gained notoriety for back in the 1990s. Let’s just hope there is some degree of variety on the rest of the album, right? [3.5/5]
‘On Fire’: Were it not for the dead air in between songs, you could easily assume that this track is still the album’s opener. Again, it is not a bad piece per se, but it offers little in the way of originality or variety. [3/5]
‘West Side’: Can somebody, please, get Jeff Martin a lozenge? His simultaneously breathless and strained vocals are becoming increasingly abrasive – and are not helped along by the frankly cringeworthy content of the lyrics on this track. [1.5/5]
‘Heaven On Earth’: The wah-wah guitar stylings provided by Robby Fronzo is perhaps the only redeeming aspect of this track, which, again, blends seamlessly into the rest of Idaho’s uninspiringly uniform discography. [2/5]
‘Heat Seek’: We are halfway through the record at this point, and Idaho has yet to land on a particularly original thought. This record seems to be a simple rehashing of the past without any real development or nuance. [2/5]
‘Somehow’: It is now becoming clear that Lapse was not intended to be listened to all in one go. For one, all the pieces have sounded basically the same, but also the endless and unwavering melancholy hangs like a weight around your neck after this many songs. [2/5]
‘Snakes’: Disappointingly, the strange ethereal sounds that closed out the last track are not continued into ‘Snakes’, which makes them seem an unnecessary inclusion. This song is a particular slog to get through, seeming only to grow slower and slower as it progresses. [1.5/5]
‘Across The Sky’: Finally, Idaho show some signs of life, as this guitar-led track breathes some desperately needed energy into the album. Ridden with feedback and a compelling drum performance, this is certainly the stand-out track from the record. [3.5/5]
‘Throw The Game’: Back to business as usual. I wonder whether, if you were to substitute this song with one of the earlier tracks, anybody would notice? [2/5]
‘29 Palms’: Closing out the album with this mercilessly short excerpt of guitar feedback and piano really highlights the relief of not having to listen to Martin’s grating tones anymore. [2.5/5]
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