Build Us Airplanes covers a lot of ground on this 9 song LP, All Things Expire. It’s melodic punk for the most part, but with distinct elements of emo, post-hardcore and what I’ll call post-screamo, meaning there are somewhat jarring vocal shifts, but minus the blunt aggression. The overall vibe of this record is angry and somewhat somber, while still punchy. The magic is how the band takes all of these styles and finds a balanced approach. Think melodic punk with emo-style vocals, but a few hardcore breakdowns and a few tonal shifts. There are even twinkling guitar flourishes in “Pope John Paul.”
I’ll say the record is about 50/50 melodic punk, like “Sinking,” mixed with the more diverse sounds I already talked about, usually shifting moods within the songs themselves. “From Afar” is maybe the song I’d use to highlight their sound. It’s structured like an emo song, with a midtempo pace and first-person lyrics, yet more punk-angled refrains. It’s like a stripped-down emo song, letting raw vocals and loud guitars do the heavy lifting instead of evocative lyricism hogging the spotlight. Opener “Know It’s Time” is a good example too, for those who want to hit the “Spotify play” button on our player below this.
The production is crisp and clean, letting the vocals and guitar set the mood. The vocals are pretty standard punk, meaning that each of the singers are rough around the edges, with some coarse-‘til-hoarse shouts that blend with melodic singing. There are three vocalists -- Richard Russell (guitar), Dorsey Thompson (bass), and Dave Goss (guitar) -- joined on drums by Matthew Kadi. Members also play in Great Apes and Reverse the Knife.
One thing that strikes me as I’ve listened to All Things Expire a lot -- my personal life is busy and it’s sat in the “review rotation” longer than usual -- is that it’s grown on me a lot over time. That nuance I spoke of in the intro reveals itself over time and this album really balances a lot of punk subgenres well without sacrificing flow or mood as they tie it all together. They’ve been a band for close to 15 years before this full-length, which explains its cohesive sound.
