Afraid Of Tomorrows is a more creative and well-rounded second effort by the Liverpool alt-rockers.
2022 was quite the year for The Mysterines. The Liverpool rockers scored a top 10 album with anthemic debut Reelingand there was the small matter of opening Arctic Monkeys’ The Car tour. A couple of years on, follow-up record Afraid Of Tomorrows is a more creative and well-rounded return, one bound to further raise their profile.
Produced by Grammy Award winning producer John Congleton in LA, the quartet’s latest ventures deeper into the dark corners of singer Lia Metcalfe’s mind. Less immediate than their debut, sonically Afraid of Tomorrows is intimate at points while maintaining their typical rock boisterousness.
This is typified by soaring opener ‘The Last Dance’ whichfinishes on Metcalfe’s demented whispers: “Unholy kind of accidents / Happen when / The puppet cuts the string”. Elsewhere, singles ‘Stray’ and ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ reveal a similarknack for the punchy rock attitude of their debut.
After a frenetic start, The Mysterines then decide to push the boat out sonically. The ethereal soundscapes on ‘Another Another Another’ make for a seductive highpoint full of emotive lyricism (“You make the raindrops cry / Cry, cry, cry”) and ‘Tired Animal’ carries a similar industrial vibe to Kim Gordon’s recent work.
The band found inspiration for album two through New York ‘00s rock documentary Meet Me In The Bathroom (2022),and the influence of the bands featured in the film is dotted throughout: the delicacy of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s 2003 single ‘Maps’ is heard on ‘So Long’ and Interpol-esque guitartextures aid the cinematic atmosphere on ‘Inside Match Box’.
Closing on the rousing, country-barn title-track, Afraid Of Tomorrows somewhat widens The Mysterines musical palette by increasing their emotional depth and proving there’s more strings to their bow than first imagined. As exciting an alternative rock record as you’ll hear this year.