by David Wilikofsky
Subsonic Eye first caught my ear in 2021 when they released their third album Nature of Things. It was an elastic take on guitar rock, one that felt indebted to many musical movements (post-punk, math rock, Midwest emo, and dream pop just to name a few) yet also managed to sound like it’s own thing. I’ve been looking forward to new music from the Singapore based quintet since they announced their signing to Topshelf Records, a label that’s been on an absolute tear this year. All Around You, their latest album, doesn’t disappoint. Mixing earworm melodies with incisive writing, Subsonic Eye have made one of the best indie rock albums of the year.
Nature of Things celebrated the natural world while mourning its rapid erosion. In many ways, All Around You feels like an extension of the themes that album explored. The natural world is still present throughout this set of songs, but it’s viewed from the perspective of the city dweller. The urban landscape is presented as an exhausting environment, a labyrinthine jungle (“Circle”) filled with the drudgery of the daily grind (“J-O-B”, “Machine”) and plenty of phonies (“Performative”). The natural world pierces through all this noise. The only escape from a monotonous job is a day at the beach, a dip in the water providing the energy to continue on. The wildflowers and weeds fighting their way through the concrete are saluted, a symbol of resilience in the face of adversity. The sunrise, serenaded by birdsong, washes the city in a golden glow. There’s constant acknowledgement of the calm and clarity that nature can bring, even in the midst of chaos.
There’s undeniably a lot of 90’s guitar rock in Subsonic Eye’s DNA. You can quickly hear echoes of Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr, both in the delicate balance they strike between the scuzzy and the melodious as well as in some of the album’s more experimental moments (see “Pick Up The Phone”, a Sonic Youth-esque spoken word exercise). At other times, their sound leans more towards twinkly emo or effervescent indie pop. You may hear other things as well; Subsonic Eye continue to be adept at weaving together a plethora of influences into something unique. But what has made me return to All Around You over and over again is the band’s knack for melody and tight songcraft. Nearly every song here has taken up residence in my brain over the past month. You can’t ask much more from any album.