Places to Hide – “Almost Nothing'”

“On the other side of the metaphorical coin, Places to Hide is quite the stark contrast to their infectiously fun instrumentals. Behind their upbeat tracks lie lyrics dealing with personal issues and self-derogation similar to the emo-tinged lyrics of other bands such as Titus Andronicus or Jawbreaker.”

Peterson Worrell

8.5
out of 10

Places to Hide
Almost Nothing
June 1st, 2013
Irrelevant Recordings

Although I consider myself to be a child of the 90’s, I sadly missed out on some of the most iconic bands and performances of the era. What can I say, I was young and hadn’t come to fully appreciate genres such as grunge and alt rock that would become a daily staple of musical rotation later on in life. Because of this, I find that I naturally gravitate to contemporary bands who can evoke the passion and emotion from this era that I missed out on. While many would consider the hay day of loud, guitar driven alt rock to have passed by, luckily, there are quite a few bands out there that are determined to keep the genre alive.

Places to Hide is one of those bands. 

With the release of their debut album, Almost Nothing, Atlanta act Places to Hide manages to create a style that can nearly be described as bipolar in nature. On one side of the coin, Places to Hide lays down super catchy, poppy, and melodic tracks that heavily draw from the 90’s alternative rock style mixed with a bit of surfer rock. When drawing comparisons, one could easily make ties to bands such as Pavement and even a bit of Dinosaur Jr. when describing the bands style. Indeed, this side of the bands style seems like the perfect soundtrack for joyriding around town with the windows down on a warm summer night.

On the other side of the metaphorical coin, Places to Hide is quite the stark contrast to their infectiously fun instrumentals. Behind their upbeat tracks lie lyrics dealing with personal issues and self-derogation similar to the emo-tinged lyrics of other bands such as Titus Andronicus or Jawbreaker. The warbly, boy/girl dual vocals make for an incredible effect that add to the emotion impact of their songs. It’s easy to become so wrapped up in irresistibly contagious nature of their songs, that one barely realizes that they’re dancing to songs talking about being a broke 20-something year old, regretting past mistakes, or having an overbearing disdain for one’s job and boss. Indeed, when one sits down and takes a deep look at the lyrics that Places to Hide delivers, the cathartic impact is so heavy, that the album plays more like a series of anthems for those of us that are stuck in that grey area of clinging to the addled days of youth while staring at threat of impending adulthood.

Had someone described the feel of this album to me before I had actually heard the band, I know I would have been curious to check them out, but I would have had no idea that Almost Nothing would become one of my favorite albums of the summer so far. Standout tracks like “Self Preservation”, “Love Song”, “Get Me Clean”, and “Michael Jordan” seal the deal in making this a staple rotation during these hot summer months for me. 

Currently, Places to Hide is taking a bit of a break, but don’t worry, they’re sure to return soon enough. In the mean time, take a listen to their new album on their BandCamp page.

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