Chris Hall
“A good frequency is everything to me.”
What is Misophonia? If you do a quick google search you will find this excerpt from WebMD:
“Misophonia is a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound “drives you crazy.” Their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the need to flee.”
I have a friend of a friend who deals with this disorder. That friend of a friend is Johnathan Diener, the frontman of Baggage. Baggage has a song called “Misophonia,” and it’s pretty good. It can be found on the band’s new album, Life in Misophonia.
It’s a killer album, so let’s take a deeper dive.
The Pros
The first thing that stuck out to me is how easy it is to listen too. The opening song, “E-350,” starts off with a nice upbeat tempo and bright tones, then the bass line and an opening verse that kind of cradles you into the album.
And away you go.
You won’t struggle to listen to this album all the way through. The instrumentals have a sort of warm familiarity to them. The songs are catchy, but not in a forced way. There’s nothing over the top or flashy, no offputting aggression. The songs flow together naturally and seamlessly.
As with every album, the production on Life In Misophonia is a key element. It was produced by Marc Jacob Hudson (Taking Back Sunday, The Swellers, Saves The Day) and he did a fantastic job. As I said, there’s nothing over the top. The production really solidifies that aspect and keeps it consistent from start to finish.
The lyrics are also a strong point. Most of the songs seem to be about specific people or events, but the word choice and tone makes them easily relatable. For example, the first line in the song “Hotel Hallway” is “Lay in your bed and hope no one knocks.” For me, that one line takes me back to my own bed and all the mornings I regretted leaving it.
Life In Misophonia makes you feel things. It has some sad emo vibes, but the good ones. You know what I’m talking about: the ones that bring you down to earth, raw emotions that sometimes you really need to feel. This is a “contemplate your life for a minute” album. A “why do I care about this person?” album. A “why do I act the way I do?” album.
The Cons
This isn’t typical of me, but I’m actually not going to discuss any cons about this album. I truly feel that everyone can find something they like about it.
Maybe it won’t be your all-time favorite album, maybe it won’t change your life, and that’s fine. But hey, maybe it will. And what do you have to lose?
Give it a spin and tell me what you think.
Overall Rating: 10/10 Favorite Song: “Misophonia”
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