American-based musician Bruner just released his debut EP Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy earlier this year, and a little over six months he is already back with a brand-new album. My Descent Into Madness was teased by Bruner with two singles before the release, “With You” and “Monster Mash”, and those two songs gave us a taste of what was to come; and it did not disappoint.
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My Descent Into Madness keeps up with the same 90s alt-rock inspired outfit he showed us so greatly on the debut EP, and this time he adds even more layers and interesting things onto his sound. On his new work, Bruner takes us on a journey that actually feels like it’s getting more and more insane as it goes on. The album, produced by Fritz Ringo and performed by Bruner backed by the members of the band Whippet, flows really nicely allowing you to experience said descent into madness without even realising it.
Things kick off with “Granola”, perhaps the most accessible song on the project, that sets the tone very nicely: a Beck-inspired track with post-punk influences that does a wonderful job in creating the atmosphere that will be explored throughout the album and still sounds like an indie pop rock song with great melodies and a horn solo. From then on in, things only get weirder in the best possible way.
Bruner dives deep into experimentations on this, even the more traditional arrangements still feel a little bit off – and that is exactly what sounds so magical about this album. The duo “With You” and “Jack-O-Lantern” sound like garage rock gems, with hopeful lyrics about meeting a girl and trying to make it work; gathering the courage to talk to her in the first place and seeing where things go. Over the course of the next songs, things don’t fully go as planned though.
My Descent Into Madness features some of the most interesting experimentations with indie rock I’ve heard in a while, making the best use of all of its attributes. Bruner’s direction on this is a bit different from the alt-country on his debut EP, making the shift into more indie rock/garage punk inspirations while still keeping the alt-country intertwined through the work, especially on his vocals. “Another Slow Song” is probably the best example of this: a fine indie rock tune, tinged with country and with hip-hop inspirations thrown in just for good measure – and when that chaos fully sets in, is when Bruner shines the brightest.
From outstanding “Monster Mash” onward, the madness is already all around as Bruner incorporates elements from noise rock, psychedelia and experiments with any and everything – including his vocals. The second half of the album is a full-on trip, filled with more and more texture that somehow manages to find an indie pop vein amongst the cacophonies and sound like nothing else. Bruner adds so much in these final tracks that they all sound like the madness itself – and the same thing happens to the lyrical themes. The honeymoon phase of the relationship is long past by this point, and all that’s left is the self-doubt and the problems, explored by Bruner with a tasteful nuance.
My Descent Into Madness is a masterful debut from a very creative mind, one album that follows absolutely no rules other than its own. It is passionate, fiery and goes in a myriad of different directions often all at once. Bruner sets the bar really high and crafted a soundscape that takes you with him in a slow but sure descent into madness. It challenges the listener every second of the way and keeps everyone on the edge of their sit waiting for what’s to come next. It’s beautiful in its weirdness and a fully realised concept album like few. If this is what madness sounds like, sign me up.
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You can find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, Alterindie State Of Mind, 12 New Songs This Week, Chill – Folk – Acoustic, Sickest & Dopest, and Unknown but Essentials!
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the center didn’t hold