In search of a great acoustic album to jam to during these warmer months? Look no further than Senses Fail’s latest EP, In Your Absence. These five tracks mix their old and current music to create a successful short summer playlist. The current line-up of the band consists of James “Buddy” Nielsen (lead vocals), Gavin Caswell (guitar and bass), and Chris Hornbook (drums).
“Jets to Peru” is the first track on the acoustic EP. Forget taking a plane, Rock Documented recommends that you get in your car, roll down the window, and turn up you stereo when this song plays. The most upbeat song on the EP, “Jets to Peru” is catchy and will have you singing along in no time.
The next two songs, “In Your Absence” and “Death Bed” bring the EP back to a more somber tone. Though, it does not take away from Senses Fail’s beautiful musicianship. “In Your Absence” has undertones of orchestration that only adds more power behind the haunting lyrics such as, “I’m not afraid of death, I’m afraid of being left alone again.”
The third song on the EP is “Death Bed”. Continuing with the somber theme that “In Your Absence” started, this track is even more broken down. While “In Your Absence” has the orchestration in the background, “Death Bed” focuses more on the acoustic guitar and piano to really let Nielsen’s vocals and lyrics shine. Senses Fail are able to produce powerful images with their lyrics. For example, “And then what I’d do in this world without you, is climb the highest mountain so we could be together again. I’d starve and I’d freeze to death under stardust of your eyes” creates a powerful image of going above and beyond to spend more time with a lost loved-one. An emotional and powerful song, “Death Bed” is sure to be one of your favorites.
“Family Tradition” and “Lost and Found” are the last two songs on the EP and songs that fans will be familiar with. After listening to the original and acoustic versions of these two songs, it is pretty clear that both versions are worth having a listen to. While the original versions do have a more upbeat melody, the acoustic tracks are just as good broken down. Both “Family Tradition” and “Lost and Found” on the acoustic EP allow for listeners to really focus on the lyrics and the meaning behind them, and not just get lost in the music.
Overall, In Your Absence is a well-balanced acoustic album. Not only does it offer fans a reimagined version of two songs, but also showcases the group’s ability to write acoustically with their new material. Fingers are crossed in hope that In Your Absence will not be Senses Fail”sonly acoustic album.
