ALBUM REVIEW: Achings – All These Shapes, All These Days

if you’re looking for something that embraces its own humanity in a manner that is at times stark and bleak, and other times beautifully intimate, then ‘All These Shapes, All These Days’ is a must listen

Born out Easthampton, Massachusetts, Achings is a duo consisting of vocalist Rebecca Joy, and instrumentalist Justin Myer, featuring studio work from Daniel Danger. After dropping their debut EP ‘Other Endings’ back in 2019, the band have spent plenty of time working on their debut album, and finally this month we received ‘All These Shapes, All These Days’, an album featuring arguably the best art of the year so far, composed by Randy Ortiz.

Ascribing their music as being at the meeting point of a variety of artists such as Kate Bush, Slint, Blondie, and The Van Pelt, across the span of this brisk album the outfit grapple with themes such as learning to let go, finding a place in an ever changing and troubled world, and the startling variety and intricacies of human relationships with sparse, ethereal musicality that weaves together stylings that one might expect from midwest emo, post-punk, and indie. 

What this culminates in is a gentle, pensive, and intricate listen that warrants your patience and attention. Joy’s vocals are truly beautiful in a wondrously imperfect manner, with a softly wavering tone that only adds to the intense humanity of the music, casting the figure of a gentle spectre over the lush and expansive instrumentation. From the gentle ruminations of ‘Undoing Home’, to the playful folkish nature of ‘Lake’, Joy perfectly encapsulates the themes and musicality of the track and delivers her vocals in an often stunningly gorgeous and evocative manner . 

Instrumentally, Achings present their music with a very simple set-up; guitar, bass, drums, and a few scattered analogue synths. Despite this, as previously mentioned, the music of ‘All These Shapes, All These Days’ manages to feel expansive and rich, with weaving arpeggios, waves of synths that are conjured from the aether, and steady, sturdy bass lines that add a real strength and depth to the otherwise gentle instrumentation. The chemistry that Joy and Myer share is clear to hear, whilst Danger provides an understated rhythmic power to the whole affair. 

The lead single from the album, ‘Need For Love’, is a true showcase of this; subtly complex, with passages that shift in nature as the track progresses, yet a simplistic overtone that embraces the vulnerability and humanity of Aching’s sound. ‘Fast Friends’, on the other hand, is a driving emo track, with fuzzy guitars and incredibly catchy choruses, perfectly placed at the midpoint of the album to act as a great injection of momentum around which the rest of the album can pivot.

The previously mentioned ‘Lake’ is a gallivanting little cut that is rich with folk inspired musicality, with its playful chorus that I can guarantee will be stuck in your head; it’s almost a little The Oh Hellos in execution. ‘The Rows’ and ‘Abdication, Planet Earth’, however, both instead grapple with the more melancholic aspects of the album’s sound and themes, with the former featuring a gritty emo fuzziness that drives it along, whilst the latter rattles with post-punk rhythms and discordant harmonies that are hauntingly captivating. 

As mentioned earlier, this is a brisk album, clocking in at only 27 minutes and 35 seconds, yet strangely, the album doesn’t feel unfinished or particularly short. Achings wrap things up with ‘House on Fire’, the longest track on the album by far, and one that perfectly ties up those existential themes into one final statement. I suspect that, given the sparse nature of much of this album, extending it much further may have killed the momentum somewhat. Instead, Achings say what they need to, and end on both the perfect note and at the perfect time; a clear understanding of their own art, and the intentions of their own album.

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush in sonic form, this isn’t the album for you. If you’re looking for flashy musicianship and vocal acrobatics, then again, this isn’t the album for you. But if you’re looking for something that embraces its own humanity in a manner that is at times stark and bleak, and other times beautifully intimate, then ‘All These Shapes, All These Days’ is a must listen for you. What Achings have produced is a genuinely inspired, creative, and enjoyable debut album that is built not for the playlists, but built to be consumed as a single piece of art, from start to finish. 

A warm reminder of the beauty in vulnerability and hope in a grey world.

RATING: 78/100 – Mostly Very Good

For Fans Of: Manchester Orchestra, Kate Bush, The Oh Hellos, Adjy

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify

Physical copies of ‘All These Shapes, All These Places’ are available here.