ALBUM REVIEW: Stay Inside – Lunger

‘…twanging banjos to rousing brass, dreamy lo-fi soundscapes to rambunctious folk flair, chipmunked vocals to gritty near spoken word, there is simply nothing else quite like what ‘Lunger’ has to offer…’

Based out of New York, Stay Inside are a four-piece outfit (or sometimes a six-piece outfit, depending on the occasion) that emerged onto the Vinyl Fantasy radar with their February 2024 sophomore record, ‘Ferried Away’. An exploration of interpersonal relationships set in the limbo of an abandoned amusement park, it made for a gripping and genuinely emotive emo with plenty of interesting musical ideas. It was a record that established them as a band worth keeping a close eye on, bringing a sense of scale and creativity to the emo scene that was very much appreciated.

‘Lunger‘ seemingly takes its name from the American western slang for somebody with chronic lung disease such as tuberculosis, and combined with track titles such as ‘Ain’t That A Daisy‘, appears to lift influence from the 1993 movie ‘Tombstone‘, and Val Kilmer’s depiction of Doc Holliday; it serves as a strange title for a suitably strange record. Whilst emo at its core, the record wraps itself in americana, indie-rock, bedroom pop, and grunge, and brings to life a world of seedy saloons, dating nights fuelled by spaghetti, and twisted, absurdist characters. Yet peel back the conceptual veneer, and what is unveiled is a deeply vulnerable record that grapples with estrangement, anxieties, and fighting to find the fantastical in the grey of modern life.

Opener ‘Counting Electric Sheep‘ is the perfect way of blowing open a record that seeks to defy expectation. Bombastic percussion gives way to infectious, rambunctious indie rock, decorated with glitching electronics, unconventional vocal melodies, and emo guitar licks. Vocalist Chris Johns brings the track’s themes of crying wolf to life with an approach that is brimming with theatricality, never quite obeying the expectations of the instrumental backing. ‘Super Sonic‘ is perhaps the most simplistic number on the record, with a clear emo focus that is certain to appeal to long time fans of the band, and serve as the point of greatest accessibility to the world of ‘Lunger‘. The track is brimming with a sense of free-spirited levity, and feels like the natural evolution of what the band attempted on ‘Ferried Away‘.

‘Oh, Longshoreman’ is a gorgeously dreamy number that takes folk elements and deconstructs them in a lo-fi indie manner. Johns makes for a fantastically compelling performer here in particular, managing to not only conjure hazy, summery melodies that are deeply infectious, but also deliver them with a sharp bitterness and self-pitying recklessness as they seek desperately for a mere ounce of attention from their muse. This degree of showmanship continues on the bristling, theatrical ‘Old Faithful‘, which pushes the band’s experimentation to its very limits. A brooding number that brings together swells of brass, vocals that collapse into spoken word, and a percussive beat that almost feels a little trip-hop in nature. The bass line in particular here is devilishly good, undulating with a hypnotic sense of menace.

‘Monsieur Hawkweed‘ is a gloriously whimsical number, with buoyant rhythms that are capitalised upon by the barked gang vocals. Grappling with the feeling that you’re wasting your chance at life, it balances both shimmering, sunny vibes with a deep, wistful melancholy. ‘Ain’t That A Daisy?‘ is a punchy indie rock cut that places galloping verses next to strangely disconcerting choruses that boom with discordance. The title derives from a Victorian era expression of awe, and the track contains multiple allusions to the aforementioned ‘Tombstone‘ depiction of Doc Holliday. It’s a strange number, but placed well in the track-list to uplift after several cinematic and slower-paced cuts.

‘Morning Breath‘ once again brings the album’s sound closer to what Stay Inside put together on ‘Ferried Away‘, with the simplistic guitar strumming and compelling vocal melodies capturing perfectly a bittersweet feeling. The percussion performance from Vishnu Anantha really stands out here, adding some impressive moments of complexity without ever overshadowing the grounded feeling that the rest of the track presents with. ‘See You Next Time, Wild Hogs‘ features crackling guitars, sparkling keys, and a genuinely soulful brass performance during the track’s surprisingly beautiful bridge segment. The tempo change in the back half begs the listener to get up and dance, with the simple driving percussion and bass invigorating the track perfectly.

‘My Dream of Doing Nothing‘ is perhaps lyrically the strongest effort on this record, as Johns perfectly captures the sentiment of watching life pass you by, and attempting to convince yourself that you’re happy to do so; ‘Wake up from the waist up/Maybe I’ll die before I’ll fade away‘ and ‘I guess I’m living a hell I drew inside of my living room wall‘ stand out in particular. It works beautifully with the dreamy emo soundscapes that make up the instrumental, with slack rhythms sitting beneath hazy guitars and moments of bright brass cutting through the weighty gloom. ‘Look! A Smoke Signal‘ makes for a beautifully haunting follow-up, with sharp, syncopated rhythms rattling beneath a gorgeous saxophone performance, and vocals that are brimming with a grim sense of self-loathing. It is truly impressive that no matter where Stay Inside take their sound across the span of ‘Lunger‘ it always feels congruent to the rest of the record.

Evolving your sound is one thing. Evolving it and making it seem wholly natural is another, and that is precisely what Stay Inside have managed to achieve. ‘Lunger‘ feels like the natural conclusion to the ideas that they had flirted with on ‘Ferried Away‘, fully embracing the americana to develop a maximalist yet whimsical approach to emo that stands head and shoulders above the crowd. From twanging banjos to rousing brass, dreamy lo-fi soundscapes to rambunctious folk flair, chipmunked vocals to gritty near spoken word, there is simply nothing else quite like what ‘Lunger‘ has to offer, and the result is essential listening for everyone from emo fans to indie heads and and country lovers.

RATING: 90/100 – Excellent

For Fans Of: The Ongoing Concept, Arm’s Length, Adjy, The Dear Hunter, Kerosene Heights, Topiary Creatures

Physical copies of the record are available to purchase here.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify