ALBUM REVIEW: Notes to Self by A New State

Are you a fan of grungy rock/punk-rock music? Do you dig the idea of artists who shred on every instrument and do so simply out of the passion for the music itself? If you answered yes to either of those questions, A New State's "Notes to Self" is most definitely for you. 

Hailing all the way from Franklin County here in Missouri, A New State is a hot new rock band that has some serious potential with something incredible to contribute to the industry of modern music. They just released "Notes to Self," their first EP, on Tuesday, June 28th. To tell you the truth, I can not stop listening to it. 

The record begins with "Nothing Like You," a song that, to me, is about a relationship between a man and his woman. The first verse portrays the doubt that any relationship can have, talking about being brave and making different decisions. Much like a lot of unsuccessful relationships, the lyrics describe each and every decision made by the man in the relationship. Going through every decision he made in the past throughout the track, he realizes that every moment spent with this other person was a waste of time. The breakdown beautifully displays the doubt in any relationship. The question repeats itself; "What if I'm right? I never needed you." The fallout of the relationship is spent by the man looking back on the relationship and reflecting, finally coming to terms with the fact that he never truly needed that other person to rise to his full potential. 

"It's Never Easy" is the second track on the EP. This number is something that couldn't ring truer to me as an artist. The title alone explains how difficult life can be at times, and the song delves into a deeper issue than simply life itself. Right before the first chorus, vocalist Nick Wachter utters the lyrics, "I'm not miserable enough to feel like this." This would resonate with any number of listeners who have gone through something troublesome, only to realize that whatever issue they had at the time wasn't enough to make them feel the way they did. Realizing that nothing will ever be easy is quite possible one of the hardest things in life to grasp, but once we can finally accept that, we can "wipe the dust away," and uncover our eyes and minds. 

The third track on the album is something that any and all fans of this genre of music will recognize. "Fiction" contributes classic punk rock guitar riffs and bass slaps, as well as a drum track that sounds like it belongs on a single off of blink-182's "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket." Mike Wachter starts the song heavy and fast with a solid drum pattern that would make Travis Barker proud. Immediately after putting that blink-182-style track in the listener's head, Nick follows suit with a strong guitar riff that sounds like the band featured Tom DeLonge on the record. The lyric "I'm a story without an end, a king without a crown" embodies the whole personality of the song on its own. "Fiction" describes the way we feel after a breakup; the song follows the first track of the EP quite well. The trust, the tenderness, the truth; it's all gone, and this track helps us realize that life can prove to be more difficult when things aren't the way they used to be. 

"93 Trees" is the fourth track on the EP, and probably the one with the strongest punk theme. The vocal introduction is a great start for the song, and it only continues to get better from there. The music itself reminds the listener of an early Sum 41 album with the fast-paced guitar riffs played in a major key. I personally love the lyric "they say I'm a blast to be around," because everything leading up to this would lead the listener to believe the polar opposite, and the sarcasm goes right along with the atmosphere this song produces. The breakdown in the last minute of the song sounds like something right off of an old blink-182 record; it's truly impressive when a band can reproduce something a handful of extremely talented musicians took years to perfect, but yet they are still able to put their own spin on it. For me, the best part about this song was the wave of nostalgia that came crashing down when the music started up. I felt like I was watching the introductory montage to a college party movie like American Pie, or something straight out of National Lampoon's vault of collegiate humor. When A New State made an appearance at a frat party at Culver-Stockton College, this song was the crowd's favorite. The reminiscing the lyrics bring on is something that music fans fall in love with almost universally. 

The final track on the EP, the song that brings A New State's first official release to a close in both story and set, is called "Safe and Sorry." From start to finish, this song had me entranced. The low and slow beginning with the smooth vocals is a refreshing change of pace from the grunge/punk/rock theme the other four songs create. The lyrics create a great ending to the story the other four songs told. Lyrics like, "if you're digging shallow graves, you might as well dig too," and the chorus belting, "you take an inch, I'll take a mile, because that's just the way I've always been," help the listener realize that the singer is finally coming to terms with all of the negativity in his life, and is finding out that he may not have made the best decision every chance he was given. He is once again safe, and sorry for anything or anyone he ended up hurting along the way. We learn that the singer doesn't want to live the way he used to any longer. On a more musical note (yeah; pun intended), I appreciate the backing vocals that repeat the chorus done by "Double Wooded Junk Whacker" Mike Wachter that echo Nick's lead clean vocals. The screaming done by Mike show the passion that not only this song has within it, but the entire EP. The slow outro to restate the smooth intro is done with almost no error, and brings the record to a clean, crisp close. 

A New State is doing everything they do for the music. I know what you're thinking, and I'll tell you right now - NO. Not every artist is in it for the music and nothing else. The band recorded this live. Each song, and produced an incredible quality in doing so. They drove to my job just to deliver the hard copy of "Notes To Self" directly to my hand. These three dudes bring something to the music world that I haven't seen from any band in a long time. I can't wait to see what they will do next. I know it will blow their EP out of the water. I strongly suggest giving "Notes To Self" a listen as soon as you can. I'll leave a link below. Until next time. 

Andrew