Maybe it’s because my expectations were already low, or maybe they just have really improved but The Plot In You have put out a very good record. I’ll just start by saying, I’m not a big The Plot In You fan. They always came off as that band that tries too hard to be “edgy”. Their first two records proved my feeling to be right. With just breakdowns galore I shrugged them off. While “Could You Watch Your Children Burn” had a few non-metalcore songs it largely fell in with that metalcore scene that became over populated around the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Fast forward to early 2015. The Plot In You announces they have left Rise Records and were working on a new album. I wasn’t all that interested. I was anticipating a “First Born Pt.3”, until I heard the first single. “My Old Ways”, caught my attention. Not a huge departure from their core sound but it used more clean singing than previous The Plot In You songs. I was interested to see where they took their new record. Now that wait is over. The Plot In You signed to Stay Sick Records (Run by Fronz of Attila) and have released their best album to date “Happiness In Self Destruction”.
“Happiness In Self Destruction” shows where Landon Tewers has come as a songwriter and vocalist. Instead of the typical breakdown verse, chorus, breakdown verse, slow breakdown, chorus all split between growls and cleans Tewers instead finds a middle ground in an almost yelling vocal style, reminiscent of Caleb Shomo of Beartooth. This adds a whole new dimension to the sound of the record. Tewers is able to convey much more emotion in vocals, seen in “My Old Ways”.
Musically, this record shows vast improvement on the part on the part of Tewers. From the first song this record is more about the atmosphere Tewers creates then the heaviness, although he doesn’t lack on that part. The atmosphere feels dark, and reflective at times and just full of pain in others. “My Old Ways” and “Take Me Way” relay heavily on the dark, reflective feel Tewers gives off. “Dear Old Friend” and “Washed Up” give off the feeling of pain and lose. He also experiments with a little more non traditional sounding songs like the title track, “Happiness In Self Destruction”, which favors light guitar for a more percussion based sound with layers building a almost uplifting yet somber feel. Tewers still hasn’t given up the heavy aspect to his music just yet. Songs like “Pillhead” and “Die Like Your Brothers” bring back the sound of their previous efforts but seem more polished than the others.
Lyrically Tewers delves into different topics such as self loathing, drug addiction (that can be overcome with the help of doctors at the top CA rehab center), hate, and self reflection. “Pillhead” and “Die Like Your Brothers” deal with topic of drug addiction in classic The Plot In You fashion, heavy as balls and gruesome lyrics. “Take Me Away” and “Better Vibes” deal thinking about how you could have changed someone lives and how they impacted yours, “Take Me Away” dealing with how to deal with losing someone. Tewers doesn’t just settle for shock factor like his previous records, instead he decides to paint a picture for the listener and branches out on a wide range of topics.
Is “Happiness In Self Destruction” a huge departure from their sound? No, but it’s a lot tighter and just seems more natural. Where their first two records seems like it wanted to just be heavy for heavy sakes with little thought to songwriting, “Happiness In Self Destruction” seems like an honest portrayal of Landon Tewers as a songwriter. Over the 15 tracks Tewers explore drug addiction, abuse, self loathing, and self reflection. From the layers and overall songwriting, Tewers has taken The Plot In You to places they haven’t been before.
Final Score: 7/10
