Every once in a while, a certain album comes along that makes you feel less alone. For once, you’re not just floating around in the real world while everyone else seems to have it all together, or in this case, finds a reason to smile. These albums make you feel heard; validated; like your pain isn’t just something for others to use as a punch line for things they’ll never understand. These are the albums we cling to when it feels like the notion of a true friend just isn’t in the cards. If it weren’t for bands with albums like these, who knows where we’d be.
For lovelytheband, writing about the struggles of mental health is a form of catharsis, and luckily for us, we now have an ally in an awfully dark world to relate to. On the band’s debut, Finding It Hard To Smile, we’re given a glimpse into a world of hope, letdowns, pain, love, and all the little things that come along with dealing with anxiety and depression while searching for someone who can actually handle all of these things. Taking us along for the ride on a journey of finding some peace in one’s inner chaos, Finding It Hard To Smile couldn’t have come at a better time.
Opening with “Pity Party,” singer Mitchy Collins shares his desires to be rid of anxiety with a mantra we’ve all muttered once or twice: “Please set me free, anxiety,” with the rest of the track setting the mood for the remainder of the record – a tongue-in-cheek tale of trying to rise up while those around you tend to make matters worse; a sad but true real life depiction of the mental health stigma.
The trials of finding love are never easy, and tracks like “Make You Feel Pretty,” “Your Whatever,” EP favorite “Emotion,” “I Like The Way,” and hit single “Broken,” display the struggle we all face to find that little piece of happiness that we all crave.
“Alone Time” continues that sentiment, but in a more joyful sense as we put our hearts and solitude on the line for someone special. Opening up to a stranger can be hard, especially after you’ve been kicked down for being a sad soul with too much emotional baggage, but contrary to popular belief, people dealing with depression don’t enjoy their sadness. The opening lines of, “I don’t have to feel good, I just wanna feel better / And I would change it if I could / I’m sick of sadness all together,” puts vulnerability on the line in hopes of finding a kind, compassionate soul out there to spend our time with who won’t judge.
Sometimes while dealing with hard times, the only thing you can do is make light of the situation. With “These Are My Friends,” the band uses their demons as a way to cope with it all. While at first listen, one might interpret it as an anthem dedicated to the people who truly love and get you, it all starts to click during the second listen. Very clever, boys.
Of course it’s not all doom and gloom. Sunshine and rainbows make an appearance on the album with the reminiscent “Coachella” and the up-tempo “Walk From Here.” Revealing one’s self-worth by walking away from a relationship going nowhere, “Walk From Here” looks to be a crowd favorite on the band’s upcoming Broken Like Me tour this fall.
“Stupid Mistakes” is a refreshing tale of taking responsibility for one’s actions while in the midst of confusion. A self-aware take on the things we often tend to push under the rug, this one is best played at full volume for full effect.
Closing our journey with “Everything I Could Never Say…To You,” – a play on the band’s 2017 debut EP – listeners are brought to their knees in a moving account of things left unsaid and emotions put on the backburner. Chances are, there won’t be one clean tissue left in the house after listening to this one.
All in all, Finding It Hard To Smile is a poignant and honest account of what it’s like to cope with mental illness, the pain of heartbreak, and finding your way out of the ruts life throws our way. With each track warranting its place on the album, we’re brought into a world so familiar yet so unlike anything we’ve ever felt as we discover our own truths and ways to move forward among the confusion. In the end, that is definitely something to smile about.
Finding It Hard To Smile is available now here.
