New Jersey’s Own In Angles ReturnWith The Light We Can’t Escape
by Shaye F
Before we get into this thirty minute slab of mathy, progressive post-hardcore goodness, I should probably disclose that I interned for In Angles’s drummer, Joe Scala, and his label, Choke Artist NJ, over the summer. We listened to earlier versions of the record on repeat, and I was granted the privilege to see first hand what it’s like for a band to send in mix revisions and directly communicate with their producer. To the average listener, we take the guitar volume, cymbal intensity, and vocal equalization for granted, but once you peel back the curtain a little, a hundred conversations back and forth have led to each element of a composition coming together. Besides tracking drums, Joe self-released The Light We Can’t Escape through his label too. From commissioning art, to ordering vinyl variants, and designing merch with help from his fiancée Kaitlyn, everything had to be done without the help of cigar smoking suits in skyscrapers. Real DIY baby! After taking a moment to recognize the sheer amount of effort it takes to release music yourself, let’s dive into what we’re all here to hear today: my thoughts on The Light We Can’t Escape.
Having found In Angles with their Shortfalls EP in 2018, I instantly found myself captivated by their unique combination of pop punk melodicism and the technicality of metal-infused math rock. These types of niche genres tend to draw increasingly verbose terminology but what I’m trying to say is they’ve got plenty of catchy singing (and not in an annoying sell-out we wanna get played on the radio type of way), but also delightful double pedal chugging, with a healthy dose of kooky guitar tapping thrown in for good measure. They followed up this EP with Cardinal in 2022.
Their first time working with renowned NJ metal producer Randy LeBoeuf, whose production pedigree includes working with The Acacia Strain, Boundaries, Kublai Khan, and some of modern metal’s biggest stars, Cardinal saw the band pushing themselves even further. The guitars shine even brighter, the drums feel fat and punchy, yet still very real, the bass adds a firm backbone, and most of all, the vocals provide an interesting take on a familiar sound, showing that pop punk vocals can be catchy without falling victim to the whiny industrial complex. Definitely not a step back by any stretch of the definition, but some could say that Cardinal was a safe follow up to Shortfalls. There weren’t any daring shifts in sound or new parts besides a couple shorter interlude tracks that act as moments of rest.
With about a decade under their belt, In Angles are comfortable in what they want to sound like. It’s difficult to toe the line between wanting to reinvent yourself with each record and still bringing to the table what made fans fall in love with you in the first place, but I think they’ve found their groove. Although sometimes, change is necessary in order to reignite your passion for music. The guys of In Angles are in their thirties now. They aren’t angsty kids playing New Brunswick basement shows anymore. Some of them have kids, they’ve all got full time jobs, and they don’t live close to each other. Touring is less of a priority, although they’d love to get on the road at some point to promote this record, but it’s increasingly difficult when life gets in the way.
That’s where The Light We Can’t Escape comes in. It’s their way of not quite reinventing the wheel, but more so refining things just a fair bit in the hopes of reaching new fans. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of difficult to count guitar passages and breakdowns, but things feel a lot easier to digest. There are more catchy hooks, song forms that repeat, and a ton of chord-based riffs akin to 2000s post-hardcore played at breakneck pop punk speeds. And yes there’s still a good number of tapping guitar parts, but their inclusion feels more necessary than before.
Lead single “Melonhead” gives a rundown of what to expect with this record. From the get go, the guitars and drums play off each other in a perfect combination of heavy and melodic. Frantic tapping interplayed with palm-muted chugs provide a strong backbone for Tom’s catchy vocals. It’s here in this contrast that In Angles shine, mixing two influences that sound clunky on paper into a perfect synthesis, as each band member fires on all cylinders to ensure that everything melds. The song quickly transitions into a more laid back chord-based section before finally opening up into the chorus.
As this draws to a close, the guitars get technical again before we are given a taste of a short breakdown. Ethereal guitar tracks grant an added weight to each syncopated groove. And then, as soon as the breakdown begins, we are introduced to a brand new part. This one is more of a mid-tempo part, showing a different component to their sound. You could probably figure out a way to two-step to it. Don’t fret, the main verse riff is coming right back soon. This notable emphasis on repeating parts and providing a more conventional song structure plays in In Angles’ favor, for the most part. You still get a wide variety of sounds and parts, but now they feel much more cohesive. After this, there’s an interesting not quite breakdown but not quite pre-chorus that plays off of a chugging riff, with some quirky dissonant chords thrown in before we are re-acquainted with the chorus one final time. There’s some clear attention paid to the build ups and payoffs of this song. Things feel conclusive when they end, and overall there is a sense of satisfaction as the song fades out.
While most of the songs on this record follow a similar structure, they’re done very well. There’s a great sense of push and pull between the softer and breakdown sections. The guitars know when to take a step back during choruses as a way to let the vocals shine. And to speak on the vocals a bit, I’m not sure whether this is a result of the mixing or maybe the vocalist switching things up but they’ve got a really nice grittiness to them that adds to the album’s darker sound. The mix enhances the songwriting but still provides its own unique character. The bass is much more pronounced this time around, and while the drums have a sharper sound overall, they still complement the other instruments nicely.
However, it would’ve been appreciated to have more dynamics on the record. What I miss most of all are the cool shorter interludes that were on Cardinal. While some might say that they are just taking up space and would be better off filled with “actual” tracks, I am always a proponent of these types of songs adding to a record’s flow. They might not work as standalone singles, but if you look at albums as a singular listening experience, they are integral. And although the maturity showcased on these songs’ updated structures are welcome, I think there could’ve been a better way of blending conventional song structures with the unpredictability of In Angles’ earlier work. Overall, The Light We Can’t Escape shows that you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks (sorry Joe I promise you guys aren’t actually old it’s just a figure of speech), and I anxiously anticipate what they cook up next. Make sure to check out The Light We Can’t Escape out next Friday, the twenty-second of November.
