{"id":3781,"date":"2019-02-20T10:12:27","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T15:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=3781"},"modified":"2019-12-17T19:57:27","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T00:57:27","slug":"album-review-swmrs-berkeleys-on-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2019\/02\/20\/album-review-swmrs-berkeleys-on-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"ALBUM REVIEW: SWMRS – Berkeley’s On Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jarrad Levy<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In their second album under the SWMRS name, Cole Becker and co. have released a scathing critique on the modern world. While <\/span>Berkeley\u2019s on Fire <\/span><\/i>is not as groovy or energetic as the band\u2019s debut album <\/span>Drive North<\/span><\/i>, the record is easily the most mature release from the quartet and extremely refreshing in the punk rock scene. <\/span><\/p>\n

Modern punk rock is littered with happy sounding songs about being sad. While so many bands in the genre are fun and talented, Neck Deep, State Champs, WSTR, All Time Low, and so many other bands all generally have the same theme and tone in the wide majority of their musical repertoire. Hearing SWMRS discuss something so different and important is refreshing and more than welcome in the scene. <\/span><\/p>\n

The album opens with the titular track, \u201cBerkeley\u2019s on Fire.\u201d This song is spectacular. While it is easily one of the most political songs on the album, harkening back to the string of controversial events at the University of California: Berkeley consisting in protesting and violence that began with the college inviting conservative speaker, Milo Yiannopoulos. The song specifically references this claiming that there are too many people \u201cConfusing freedom speech with swastikas \/ Like Milo Yiannopoulos.\u201d Additionally, the entire song and much of the album focuses on the bias of media, with \u201cBerkeley\u2019s on Fire\u201d repeating the line \u201cYour TV lies\u201d over and over. While the song is extremely political and discusses the importance of truth in the media and the inherent problems with far right conservatism, it is also the most groovy and danceable song on the record. The way Cole Becker delivers his lines and his brother, Max Becker, shreds guitar is so fun and energetic. With any other lyrics or topic, this would be one of the most fun songs in the genre. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToo Much Coffee\u201d is the second song on the album and avoids the topic of politics entirely and instead elects to discuss the feelings of homesickness while touring. SWMRS\u2019 last album, <\/span>Drive North <\/span><\/i>is an ode to their hometown of Oakland, California. They love their home. Thus when they go on about how no town is quite as good as home, the song is enhanced by the context of knowing how much home means to the band.<\/span><\/p>\n

The third song on the album, \u201cTrashbag Baby\u201d is an introspective look of what a break up does to one\u2019s well being. In the song, Becker describes the woman in question as hating him and feeling like his \u201ctrashbag.\u201d He on the other hand is heartbroken, explaining that he is picking up the shards of his heart while being stabbed. This is the most overtly punk song on the record and is absolutely one that conjures the image of a mosh pit at a concert.<\/span><\/p>\n

Becker and co. return to the political motifs of <\/span>Berkeley\u2019s on Fire <\/span><\/i>with \u201cLose Lose Lose,\u201d a song discussing the 2016 presidential election and how aggressive both sides of the political spectrum have become. The song repeats lines about the Symbionese Liberation Army, a violent group that fights for liberal ideals, but also has lines focusing on how Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has ruined America with the implication that he in some way meddled in the 2016 election that led to Donald Trump\u2019s victory. The song itself is angry, presumably about how American politics has become so corrupt and divisive.<\/span><\/p>\n

The heavy handed political message is followed by a song about peer pressure and drugs, \u201cApril in Houston.\u201d In this more mellow and depressing song, Becker sounds as if he is begging for help, explaining that he gets high with his friends, but has no idea what to do with himself when he is alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLonely Ghosts\u201d discusses the world\u2019s dependence on technology with screeching guitars and wild vocals. The song is one of the more lyrically advanced on the album, with less repeated lines and much more of Becker venting. The listener can easily tell just how angry he and the rest of the band are about how much of the world is dependent on technology and how much personal interact has been lost because of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band is reminiscent on \u201cIKEA Date,\u201d a song directed at a lover who is nowhere to be found. In the song Becker recalls a dream of the two of them together at an IKEA in one of the beds together, only to awake and realize he is clutching his pillow. The song is desperate, depressing, and truly made me feel sad for Becker, as he seems so lost without his other half.<\/span><\/p>\n

My favorite song on the album is \u201cHellboy,\u201d a song that enters the mind of a mass shooter in a perfect balance of aggression and satire. Becker goes on about how easily he (as the shooter) can obtain a gun and murder children, emphasizing that he believes the United States needs stricter gun laws. He even mentions how the laws are lenient to allow the NRA to make a profit. While this is sure to be the most polarizing song on the record, it is pure and unadulterated passion and angst \u2014 extreme power and anger. More so than any other track on the album, this describes the mission statement of SWMRS.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBad Allergies\u201d is another slower song, where Becker uses allergies as a metaphor for personal problems. He warns his significant other that he has bad allergies and that he is deeply sorry for any problems it may cause to their relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Berkeley\u2019s on Fire<\/span><\/i> closes with a final political statement in \u201cSteve Got Robbed.\u201d In the song the protagonist, Steve, has been robbed multiple times in a night when walking home. Becker continues by explaining that everyone has been robbed in a more metaphorical sense. He goes on about taxes in one of the verses and closes the song by making a statement about how it has become easy to steal others\u2019 social security numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, SWMRS\u2019 latest release is not as entertaining of an album as their last, but is absolutely more mature in lyrics and topic. While there are some highly energetic and fun songs on the record, it absolutely feels like the band felt more like making a political statement than a fantastic punk record. If you love the band or are a fan of the genre, there is likely something on this album for you. Otherwise, this may not be where you want to dive into SWMRS.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jarrad Levy In their second album under the SWMRS name, Cole Becker and co. have released a scathing critique on the modern world. While Berkeley\u2019s on Fire is not as groovy or energetic as the band\u2019s debut album Drive North, the record is easily the most mature release from the quartet and extremely refreshing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15726,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1524],"tags":[157,678],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3784,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781\/revisions\/3784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}