Perhaps unknowingly, The Menzingers were met with some questions. What does writing look like when one member celebrates life’s outcomes while another experiences his greatest hardships? Do you find creative energy elsewhere or do you address the chaos head on? Luckily, they chose the latter and all the confusing, uneasy, unsettling emotions of this particular chapter have resulted in their eighth full-length – and one of their best – Everything I Ever Saw.
Everything I Ever Saw is an 11 song attempt at taking inventory of the past, the present, and all future promises to simply sit with it all to better understand life. At its core, it’s an album that could have only existed in this current era of The Menzingers. Songs like “Romanticism” and “When She Enters My Dreams” are reflective anthems but not so much nostalgic as they are gentle in the reminiscing. And as we can expect, it’s not all personal, especially when singer Tom May is handed the mic. “Other People’s Money” is one such example where May trades in some anger from previous political commentaries for a more tired, what-can-we-even-do kind of approach against a calmer singalong.
Sonically, I think this is one of the best sounding albums by them to-date. They’ve grown into a more mature, sometimes reserved band during this chapter and I think it works quite nicely on this one. It only helps to have one of the best producers of our time, Will Yip, behind the board.
I think my favorite part of this album is the feeling of community it gives. The press around Everything I Ever Saw is focused on how the band came together to provide camaraderie and a safety net for May during his divorce. And I think that act of true friendship and care shines through on this LP. Songs like “Gasoline & Matches,” seemingly written to encourage a friend, and “Nobody’s Heroes” which is definitely about May’s divorce, are centerpieces. If you’ve ever been to a Menzingers show, you know how special and welcomed they make the crowd feel and Everything I Ever Saw takes that same superpower and shifts it slightly to give the listener what they’ve given each other – empathy and some encouragement to take stock of your life. And in true Menzingers fashion, the band trade vocal duties song by song and that balance of songwriting and singing I think is the best it’s been. It just packages up all of what I’m describing very nicely. In short: The Menzingers got your back.
This review would be incomplete if I didn’t mention the title track which is also the album closer. “Everyhing I Ever Saw” is Greg Barnett’s plea to himself to just be present. The song is not about wanting to change anything in the past but rather wanting to relive it for all the times he didn’t truly feel in the moment. All this to simply gain some sense of understanding for the life as it is now. “Everything I Ever Saw” may not just be the best on this album but may also be one of the best songs the band has released. It’s such a refreshing closer with a textbook Menzingers chorus that will have you screaming along by the end of it.
Look, The Menzingers are 20 years in now (I’m sorry…what?!). It’s not lost on me that history has been unkind to some of our favorite punk rock bands as time pushed forward. Creativity oftentimes depletes and it becomes more challenging to reinvent or simply stay afloat with the expectations your past selves have set. I’m happy to report, however, that is simply not the case for these beloved punks. And if you don’t believe me, give this record a spin.
Everything I Ever Saw releases everyone on July 17th on Epitaph Records. Listen to the pre-released singles here:
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