Long-time readers may recognize a trend in my album reviews-- specifically, I tend to obsess over emo-adjacent albums with blue covers (IKHT, Combat, starling, some others). This article is no different.
Mend, Move On, released in 2014, is the first studio-length album from Australian melodic-hardcore-turned-pop-punk band Trophy Eyes, and as you may have gathered, I’ve had it on loop for about a month now. The album has a bit of everything, from its half heavy, half hauntingly melodic shouted vocals and crushingly introspective lyrics to its quintessential emo drums and guitar parts. And a blue album cover, of course.
Clocking in at 29 minutes, the album crams in 11 short, fast songs, resulting in a condensed record with no filler. The songs all feel distinct enough from each other to be memorable, but similar enough to be cohesive. The album is both heavy and melodic, with the pounding punk drum beats and riffs you’d expect from something of its genre. As with a lot of melodic hardcore, the guitar riffs are works of art, from the heavy intro to “Responsibility and Structure” to the soaring lead guitar on “White Curtains”. Despite the screamy nature of frontman John Floreani’s vocals, the album is still catchy, thanks both to the guitar parts and the anthemic feel to the album—but the real weight is from the actual words being sung.
Lyrically, the album deals with some heavy topics. Most of the songs reflect on Floreani’s mistakes and how he feels like a f---up, letting down everyone he loves, “too f---ing scared of doing the right thing”, as he puts it on “White Curtains”. He also reflects on family tragedy, with the opening “My Name On Paper” recounting his grandmother suffering from dementia. “In Return” tackles the guilt he feels towards his mother over not wanting a stepfather. The messages can be conflicting-- Floreani swears up and down “I’ve changed now, I’m better,” on “Come Clean”, yet also admits that “everything changes but I stay just the same time” on “Ugly Pattern”. The contradictions really lend themselves to the reality that Floreani, like most people, is imperfect and inconsistent, and even when he does his best, it’s not always enough. Floreani mostly eschews symbolism, opting for a more direct, confrontational lyrical style that might not seem moving on paper, but in practice can be quite powerful. The ending of “My Name On Paper” in fact made my eyes water writing this (“Mum made it to a show last month / She said you’d be so proud”).
Of course, Mend, Move On isn’t quite perfect. Opening the album with “My Name On Paper” is quite jarring. Maybe they were going for an “in media res” type of opening, but honestly, it doesn’t work. The second track “Come Clean” would probably be a better bet, with its slower, more melodic opening. The band themselves also have a spot of controversy, with a fan becoming paralyzed at a show in Buffalo, New York in 2024 due to Floreani ignoring venue rules (somehow still preferable to the controversies that usually happen with this genre).
All things considered, though, Mend, Move On is a fantastic album, a comfortably heavy record to set the stage for the band’s future pop-punkification that never fails to yank around your heartstrings.