Self Evident have been a band for over 15 years, but unfortunately, I’ve been in the dark until I heard their most recent endeavor, We Built a Fortress on Short Notice. This would be my introduction to Self Evident and truth be told, it led me to their back catalog of 5 previous full lengths and some EPs. They construct a good blend of jazz melodies with indie-rock, but at times it’s hard to keep my head up and eyes open.
There’s a strong start to We Built a Fortress on Short Notice, with “Rumors.” If this song accomplishes one thing, it’s that the rhythm section is fantastic. There’s a certain warmth to Tom Berg’s bass tone that draws you in. The track is quite a wild ride—taking you through a number of rhythm shifts while maintaining the same pace. Lead vocalist/guitarist, Conrad Mach kicks off the next track, “Our Condition.” There’s a riff in this song that’s reminiscent of Refused’s, “Shape of Punk to Come,” only a little more rhythmic. So far, the only thing bothering me is how monotonous Mach can be with his vocals. It’s not until he starts to shout that he lets his vocals flow. It’s a quality that has the following track, “Half-Bicycle,” suffering at the start. The song starts off slow and dull. Midway through, the song shifts and wakes you up with its number of time signatures.
“Bartertown” and “In Cowardice” bring out the band’s post-rock influences. They’re slow-tempo numbers with beautiful guitar work and melodies—“In Cowardice” especially. While the first few tracks felt like they belonged to Self Evident’s rhythm section—these two are much more in Mach’s possession. It’s on the track, “Not Literally,” that all three corners really come together. Each member’s sound is distinct from Mach’s Cursive-esque vocals and guitar work to Berg’s swooping bass rhythms while Johnston hammers away at his cymbals. “The Ones That We Live Without” is one track the album could have lived without. Despite the mesmerizing riff in its bridge that takes up a fair amount of the song—the bookends of the track are too blunt to hold my attention. Up next is the far superior, ‘Cloudless.” I urge you to really listen and appreciate every note. It gives you two and a half minutes to before Mach brings in his vocals. It’s another emotionally driven slow-tempo performance that’s wonderful to listen to every time. After the mediocre, “Steve Stevens,” we get to the album’s title-track closer. The first quarter of it is a bit underwhelming. Eventually, there’s a bit of urgency and the song throws in a bit of force and impact, before it dumbs back down.
While “We Built a Fortress on Short Notice” has a couple moments that have me snoring, it was a great introduction to Self Evident. There’s definitely some fabulous song-writing going on with this band. It’s a shame I didn’t catch on sooner. Self Evident take a wide range of influences, and throw them together to create something special. I’d suggest not making the same mistake of sleeping on this band and give this record a listen. It's especially perfect if you're looking to listen to on a cool Winter day.
