One of my favourite things to do on a quiet night is turn on some dreamy music to really make me feel relaxed and create a softer vibe. Autumn In June’s new album ‘I Don’t Like You When I’m Sober’ is perfect for this kind of thing because the echoing vocals and gentle atmospherics that are used throughout each song just fills you with a sense of calm.
This album is bedroom pop at it’s best, with organic accents that really take you by surprise when you hear them. Although each track has its own unique style, the album is weaved together by those cooling atmospherics and vocals, creating a fluid collection of songs.
‘Stay’ and ‘Cute Veins’ are fun pop tracks that have a strong 80’s vibe. Bursting cymbals and buoyant bass lines dance alongside the soft production and really feel like the soft and glowy camera filter used in 80’s music videos has come to life. ‘Want You Bad’ also encompasses this with it’s upbeat guitar licks and hard beat. The song is smooth and has each element of the production dancing together in an almost effortless way.
‘Lonely Love’ and ‘Call Me’ are both really refreshing tracks as the hollow tones have a cooling effect on you. ‘Call Me’ has delicate tones sprinkled across darker atmospherics, creating a mysterious melody that doesn’t feel too dissimilar to a dark rainforest. ‘Lonely Love’ on the other hand, is sharper with tropical tones bouncing atop vibrant synths and powerful pianos.
‘Wandering Around’ is a really uplifting track. The pianos are very prominent here and carry warm atmospherics up to a very welcoming space. ‘Call Me When The Party’s Over’ also feels welcoming. This track has a really playful melody with guitars, keyboards and synths all working together to create this strong sense of excitement and catharsis.
Although some of the songs on ‘I Don’t Like You When I’m Sober’ share some similarities, there are three tracks that really stand on their own. These are the ones that floored me because they were so unexpectedly different to all of the other tracks on the album.
‘Runaway’ has a deep bass line and strong guitars that drive the melody forward. It’s a dreamy song, like all the others on the album, but also has more grit, soul and, for lack of a better word, spunk. ‘Runaway’ feels like a dark, smokey jazz bar. It’s got energy, but it’s subtle and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
‘I Don’t’ is different again. This track feels more experimental and has less acoustic instruments than the other tracks on ‘I Don’t Like You When I’m Sober’. Warped synths float with bubbly samples and the bass line seems to be loosely connecting the melody together. This track is funkier than the others and almost sounds like the musical embodiment of a pink soft drink.
Then, on another spectrum again, we have ‘Jaded’. After going through jazz and popping electronica, on ‘Jaded’ we dive into minimalism. Hollow percussion lifts up the vocals with gentle acoustic tones adding the flavour the track seems to thrive on. There’s not much here, but what’s great about ‘Jaded’ is that it finds its power with the least amount of instruments and still feels like one of the strong tracks on the record. It’s probably my favourite track on the whole album.
Despite having some similar elements, each track on ‘I Don’t Like You When I’m Sober’ brings something new to the table. The precision in the production and willingness to utilise non traditional instruments in the melody makes this album as riveting as it is calming. This album is something that just makes me feel content and comfortable and Autumn In June really has been able to weave together a gorgeous collection of songs that can perfectly soundtrack a beautiful night.
Stream: Autumn in June
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