ALBUM REVIEW: Agnes Manners – Peace and Why I Didn’t Think I Deserved It or Really Needed It Anyway

an enjoyable evolution of the band’s sound and presentation, taking the key factors of what made them stand out so much, and incorporating them into a more accessible musical style

Originally, Agnes Manners was little more than a solo-project for former Hellions vocalist and songwriter Matt Gravolin. Quickly, however, this outlet for ideas he was unable to work into the Hellions discography became a fully-fledged band in its own right, with a simply stellar debut album in 2020’s ‘Fantasia Famish‘.

Centred around themes of grief and masculinity, Gravolin penned an album that explored the male experience of loss in a way that so few other writers of any media have been able to; a touching, raw, and vulnerable collection of songs that was held together by a spellbinding theatrical blend of folk rock and sweeping orchestration. Now, three years later, the band are back once more with their sophomore effort.

Whilst the band’s folk rock sound is still present in certain aspects of this album, ‘Peace[…]‘ sees Agnes Manners focusing more on a clean-cut alternative rock sound, with a central musical core of guitar and drums. Certain tracks still showcase Gravolin’s flair for the theatrical, but compared to the band’s debut, this feels like a far more grounded affair. Regardless, Gravolin’s capacity for story-telling is still as spellbinding as ever, giving a real magic to the humanity at the core of this album.

‘Forest Fire‘ picks up on themes Gravolin touched upon with the outfit’s debut album, exploring the journey of confronting your own toxic masculinity and self-destructive behaviours (‘Can’t you see I am the big man?/A parasite, a wildfire, I am/I am the forest, the fire‘), all of it backing with punchy 90’s alternative riffs and bouncing percussion. ‘Riot Bitch‘ takes these concepts an explores them in a different manner, observing healthy relationships to the women in our lives.

Whilst ‘The Shepard Tone‘ is a bizarre piece, taking clippings of media from across Gravolin’s life and layering them over the titular audio illusion and a rendition of Chopin’s ‘Nocturne In E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2‘, it makes the following track, ‘Carpe Diazepam‘, all the more impactful. The lyricism paints a picture of facing up to the destructive wake of alcoholism and constant partying, reconciling the belief that you’re living your best life with the truth that it’s all crumbling around you. The instrumentation is a cinematic affair, with glittering guitars and a steady arena rock vibe that makes the whole affair feel as though it’s playing over rolling credits.

‘Reconcile‘ and ‘Peace‘ entagle deeply with one another, as Gravolin faces up to his own mental hellscape and learns to accept that there are some things in life he will forever be unable to change, such as his own past traumas, whilst also learning to embrace the peace he is able to achieve in life whilst reaching out to professionals and loved ones. It’s a powerful moment, especially as ‘Peace‘ rattles to a particularly anthemic close, backing vocals declaring ‘I see God all around‘.

‘Satori‘ brings the album to a close with sweeping strings and synths overlaying clippings of people telling one another that they love and miss them, before Gravolin states ‘just don’t resist the present moment‘ as a baby grizzles softly. It’s an incredibly touching moment, an ode to learning to let go of what rots the soul, and learning to embrace what peace we are able to achieve in the present.

Avoiding the sophomore slump, ‘Peace[…]‘ acts as not only a wonderful continuation of ‘Fantasia Famish‘, and arguably a completion of that album’s themes, but also an enjoyable evolution of the band’s sound and presentation, taking the key factors of what made them stand out so much, and incorporating them into a more accessible musical style.

‘Peace and Why I Didn’t Think I Deserved It or Really Needed It Anyway‘ is not just a great album title, but a great album full-stop.

RATING: 83/100 – Very Good

For Fans Of: Hellions, Quiet Company, Belle Haven, The Killers, Holding Absence

Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.

Follow the band on social media via the links below:

Instagram // Spotify