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May 24, 2023 Web Exclusive By Mark Moody

Even odds that the opening notes of Everyone’s Crushed’s “Structure” were ripped from a shiny metal ball getting stuck in the pop bumpers of a Queen pinball machine long enough to unlock a play through of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But as with everything else on Rachel Brown and Nate Amos’ latest creation, all good things last not for long. The swiftly moving nine-song album has more jump cuts than Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, with the album’s only common themes being Amos’ underlying low grade rumble over which everything unfolds and Brown’s sing song-y half spoken vocals.

Not unlike the cover art of Sonic Youth’s Goo, the collaborative cover illustrated by Nicole Rifkin from photos taken by Ana Fangayen screams you too can be cool as shit if you purchase our little album. Or as Brown implores more simply on the album’s closing track, “Buy my product.” And unlike the post-punk bands of old (PiL, The Fall) that taunted their audience with tawdry asides about what they were churning out, Water From Your Eyes consistently supply quality. “Buy My Product” recalls the hyperactive dance beats of Snapped Ankles, while the other side of the coin, “Out There,” is informed by a mix of steel drum dub and dancehall keyboards. Bracing, if unusual, stuff.

The album’s first single, “Barley,” plays out as a microcosm of the album itself. Amos’ attention deficiency, jumping from drain circling drops to screaming sirens to distorted guitars, is overlaid by Brown’s never-ceasing archness. They beckon “psst” and shush “shh” while desecrating the altar of Sting’s “Fields of Gold.” And not one to take promises lightly, Brown uses a “nanny nanny boo boo” intonation to skewer the subject of the chopped and quartered “True Life.” They tease “you won’t even ask the question” over a see-sawing melody. Ripe with ideas, the duo also jumps from the heavily braked drum and bass of “Remember Not My Name” to the chamber pop beauty of “14.”

Water From Your Eyes are one of the most interesting acts in music these days and no doubt a coup for Matador to get them in their grasp. If creating the music on Everyone’s Crushed was as fun as it is to consume, it’s a wonder that Brown and Amos take time to eat or bowl a few frames. To paraphrase from an earlier legend, “Keep it comin’ loves!” Ultimately, Everyone’s Crushed is the summer soundtrack for those that hate summery soundtracks. People like you. (www.waterfromyoureyes.com)

Author rating: 8/10