Spectreview: Somos – Prison on a Hill

This record is available for purchase early through the week of August 12, with all proceeds going to charity. You can purchase the record through the Bandcamp embed below:

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“What a way
What a way to remember
The absent and lost”

Young death is a uniquely bitter tragedy because it’s based in the irreconcilability of closed-off paths, in things that might have happened and suddenly never will. Boston pop-punk artists Somos are facing that kind of tragedy in the absence of guitarist Phil Haggerty, who recently passed away at 28, and in tribute (as well as to help pay for funeral costs) they’ve decided to release their forthcoming album Prison On A Hill as a paid download for just a week. Perhaps it’s the circumstances surrounding the music, or perhaps it’s the hyper-dramatic nature of pop-punk music in general, but it’s hard not to be moved not only by the quality of music on display here but by the stylistic changes the band’s seemed to have made since 2016’s First Day Back. Haggerty’s role as a guitarist in the band may arguably be better represented on that record, which boasted more of a guitar-led sound, but part of the joy of listening to this record is discovering every diverse style successfully attempted here, from the synthwave of “Absent and Lost” to the grace notes of power pop on surging opener “The Granite Face” to the all-consuming “Untraceable Past,” which comes across almost like electropop. An emphasis on keyboards and thick drum production further lends an 80’s vibe to the project; in fact, the production here is altogether a step up, and every instrument, especially Michael Fiorentino’s vocals, come across powerfully. There’s a palpable passion running through the record, sense that a lot of time and effort was put into this package, and relative to their previous works there’s a newfound sense of optimism, in the lucid declarations of “Farewell to Exile” and the resolute confidence of “Iron Heel.” It’s alternately devastating and heartening that such a shift in outlook comes along this tragedy, but whether or not the the band decides to move on after this tragedy, they should know they’ve put together a wonderful, ebullient record that Haggerty was undoubtedly proud to be a part of.

Recommended for cathartic drives.