Beside Myself is the fourth studio album by English alternative rock band Basement released on October 12th through Fueled by Ramen. The album was produced by Colin Brittain, engineered by Alex Prieto, and mixed by Rich Costey.
Basement are:
Andrew Fisher
Alex Henery
Ronan Crix
James Fisher
Duncan Stewart
Have your ears ever graced a soundscape of nostalgia, that you never thought you’d need?; The musical counterpart to a classic cup of hot chocolate on a cold Autumn day. That’s exactly how I feel when listening to English rock band Basement’s newly-released record Beside Myself.
Basement originally formed in 2009, forming shortly after the break-up of the pop-punk group “This Is For Fun,” and releasing an EP within the next year. The band went on to writing a total of three full length records, that were released through Run For Cover Records. Their first full length, I Wish I Could Stay Here, put them right in the middle of bands like Balance And Composure and Title Fight, radiating similar styles and gaining the same audience in return.
The music group’s second and 3rd LPs, Colourmeinkindness and Promise Everything are both staples in their discography and show a clear case of musical evolution. Colourmeinkindness bleeds Basement’s emo roots, displaying strong influence of early artists like Sunny Day Real Estate. Promise Everything showcases the band’s bloom into a more alternative-rock ensemble, taking notes from late-90s rock music.
Now, the primary topic, Beside Myself. This is Basement’s fourth LP and their first recording pushed out through Fueled By Ramen. You know what I love most about this album? The clear care put into it and respect towards any material it pulls influence from. To show what Beside Myself really succeeds at, solidarity and progression, I’m mainly going to focus on the first and last songs on the tracklist
The record starts out with “Disconnect,” a strong opener and one of my personal favorites. Here we have a track that feels like a tribute to Jimmy Eat World’s early 2000s hits, while also paying homage to Thrice’s The Artist In The Ambulance. The song begins with a simple chord progression, that manages to hold your attention until the chorus hits shortly after, and also continues the entirety of the song. As soon as the chorus comes in, you’re hooked. The lyrics capture a melancholy feeling of the point of no return; the sudden realization you’ve lost connection with someone close, reality, and even yourself. Ironically, I can connect to the song. Overall, “Disconnect” is a straightforward rock song, that does what it sets out to do in a captivating fashion.
Beside Myself closes with “Right Here,” a track that’s bittersweet, a word that’s even written in the lyrics: “We’ll leave to bittersweet feelings of happiness and the defeat.” The song shows similar melancholy in lyricism, but holds great contrast in dynamics, to the first track on the record. “Right Here” is a slower and softer musical piece, that finishes the album off with a sense of acceptance and honesty.
The rest of the music the band has given us, is a smooth well-constructed bridge between the opener and closer. The group uses straight forward riffs and lyrics, but appropriately threads them into meaningful art, proving that sometimes less is more, especially when delivering music reminiscent of early 2000s alternative rock.
Checkout their music video for “Be Here Now” here:
