Harkening to bands like Title Fight and early Death Cab for Cutie, Routine, the third album from Denver-based Broken Record, is a ride on the churned up wake of late stage capitalism. This post emo/hardcore band is not out to drain your money (although they could probably use some if you’ve got it), instead they set out to capture that same feeling. It’s that dower, powerless sensation that sits in our guts as the table is sold out from underneath us. It’s that race to the bottom disguised as a race to the top where the rules are made up the points don’t matter. But set to super polished emo music.
Where Broken Record’s previous two albums, Nothing Moves Me and I Died Laughing, were solid DIY recording projects, Routine is an immense leap forward. The eternal battle between loud vocals and distorted guitar doesn’t feel present here. Beecher’s lamenting voice resting on top of the band’s impassioned playing feels more like emotional intelligence than a tug of war for bandwidth.
Thanks to the help of producer Justin Pizzoferrato, Broken Record found a depth of body missing from their earlier work. With credits working with alternative rock legends like Dinosaur Jr., Parquet Courts, and Pixies to name a few, Pizzoferrato was well-suited to get band’s music to fill the room.
While the production gives Routine the lift it needs, the songs themselves have an authenticity that can go missing in Colorado music. Songs like “Drag”, and album single “T-60” project the vulnerability consistent throughout the album and still be undeniably heavy. Even switching from the slower songs to the heavier ones feels seamless, most noticeable between “What Always Happens” and “50% Sea”.
Zoomed out, Routine feels natural and purposeful. Zoomed in, and the album is full of subtle production tricks and immaculate guitar tones. However you slice it, Broken Record nailed it and stays on theme without ever mentioning late stage capitalism by name.
