When you release an album that is well received as much as Fake History was, the burden of expectation for the album that comes after is often very high. Soon after its 2010 release and 2011 re-release by Epitaph Records, Letlive started gaining steam extremely fast from word of mouth. Letlive had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on the increased attention they were receiving, with their live shows in particular becoming a huge talking point surrounding Letlive. Other prominent bands in the scene like Enter Shikari and Every Time I Die (when they were still a band) were quick to approach that live as opening and support on various tours.
After months of speculation and excitement for their follow-up album reaching a fever pitch, The Blackest Beautiful was released on July 9th, 2013. Forgoing the more polished production on Fake History, Letlive instead proceeded to completely throw out the musical rule book. The album’s production quality as a whole is still a contentious point amongst fans and critics, but the actual songs take more risks and mostly pay off. The one-two punch of “Banshee (Ghost Fame)” and “Empty Elvis” expand on Jason Aalon Butler’s obvious passion for music, yet fueled with more hooks than a tackle box. “Pheromone Cvlt” examines a difficult situation in a very direct fashion. Fuck, this album is probably better than you remember, just listen to it.
