Counter Intuitive Records, Big Scary Monsters – July 3, 2020
Sibling rivalry or sibling harmony? This is the best of both
The Winter Passing take no time to prove that New Ways of Living will not fall into the trappings of a sophomore curse. The Dublin quintet centers around siblings Kate and Rob Flynn. The brother-sister duo handle the singing and songwriting on a poppy and upbeat album that feels tailor-made to be the soundtrack to a summer road trip film by Cameron Crowe. It would be easy to draw comparisons to multiple other artists, especially 2000s Midwestern-emo bands, but it would also be lazy. The Winter Passing craft their own sound with versatility ranging from loud and anthemic to gentle and quiet.
When the LP opens with Rob’s snotty vocals, “Ghost Thing”could easily be mistaken as a Green Day style pop-punk track until Kate chimes in. Her vocal range is quickly examined on the alternating vocals of the dual-lyricists, a powerful juxtaposition to the straightforwardness of her brother’s sneer. The contrast of the musicians set the tone and make it clear this is not your generic male-female point-counterpoint harmonizing. The Flynn siblings have no intention of blending their vocals together, when they can overpower one another to create and enhance the cacophony of indie-pop beauty they are creating. The synergy created grabs the listener by the cheeks and subconsciously forces them to increase the volume. New Ways of Living meanders through its themes of anxiety, loneliness and self doubt.
The inspired “Crybaby” alternates mean-girl cheer chant with Kate’s heartfelt balladeering and Rob’s midwestern-emo style serenades, a song that sounds both out of place and the perfect introductory track to see the way The Winter Passing uses its differences to unify and perfect their sound. “Crybaby” immediately impressed and shocked the same way Gwen Stefani did when she followed up the paid dues feel of No Doubt with the radio-ready “Hollaback Girl.” This has all the potential to make The Winter Passing an international success while alienating the fans of their 2015 debut.
Kate really takes center stage on “I Want You.” This is soft ballad focused on her overlaid lyrics. The song haunts as Kate exposes her fragility backed by strings and feels like it would be a perfect closer to the album. Luckily, the nearly seven-minute “Mind Yourself” is an even more fitting denouement for New Ways of Living. The track slides from another soft ballad of vulnerability before it explodes with an emotional climax, noisy and beautiful just like The Winter Passing should be. I’m sure there have been better ballads written in the last decade, but I can’t think of any.
The Winter Passing do not have that arena filling sound that will make it easy for them to gain attention outside of their home country, but based on this impressive LP they might go down as the Emerald Isle’s best kept secret.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
