Colourful chaos lifts the mood quickly, in brilliant contrast to the darker depths of the lyrics – I. Parter explores the concept of a melancholy and isolation, with the ten-track pop-punk album Misery’s My Company.
We begin with the opener, a high-octane title-track uniquely showcasing fast-fingered keys and the live crash of drums, in unison with a kind of pop-punk vocal tempo and a fearlessly revealing string of reflections on the life and a disconnected sense of self. The sound is all at once nostalgic and cleverly original – chaotic yet colourful as mentioned – and its starts this album off on an impressively genuine high.
Things continue down this pathway; the high energy and the unapologetic realness. All the while, I. Parter’s voice and devotion to each performance gifts the style something pure and powerful, nostalgic but evocative. Too Far Gone is exactly this, a fully loaded, multi-layered soundscape, and piercingly contemplative lyrics both personal and relatable.
Arrangement matters, and the mellow riff and quiet tuneful wonder of Another 10 Years emerges at just the right time. It’s a mildly strained delivery, but this ties in with the vulnerability at its core, and the explosive later moments again utilise juxtaposition really well.
On the flipside, a touch of optimism and brilliant melodic and instrumental unity shines brightly for the mighty Not Going Down. Then the again unique pairing of guitars and upfront keys guides us into a more emotive and ambient but impassioned Last One Callin’.
Headspace is a catchy and colourful highlight, a melodic earworm and with a great use of contrast as ever between the two instrumental parts and the relentless drumline. Then for Bury Me, we enter a well-placed acoustic fingerstyle realm, and a song that tips its hat to the emo rock anthems of Brand New and the days that brought us all together in our uncertainty.
Acoustic strumming redirects things for I Used To Be a Dreamer, a song that naturally embraces its listener in the warmth and rising energy of the mix, and connects for its deeply human self-awareness and nostalgia. Another favourite.
Great acoustic guitar-work impresses during the project’s latter half, with the penultimate track Destined For Disdain again setting an immersive and comforting vibe. These are songs of unignorable realism, of depression and sadness exemplified in a passionate outburst of finely crafted melodies and grooves. I. Parter’s authenticity is refreshing, and the self-deprecation is likely to reach out to more than a few modern listeners.
Wrapping things up, The Quitting Type again seems hopeful and positive in its sheer energy and brightness. It’s initially a breathy kind of Goo Goo Dolls moment of heartfelt longing and poetic scenes, later more emo-punk and impassioned again, extensive at almost six minutes of artistic exploration, and it presents another compelling side to the I. Parter style and the complex twists and turns of Misery’s My Company.
A wonderful album, in short – profoundly real, emotive and unfiltered, and loaded with great tracks that quietly scream out on behalf of inner pain and lostness.
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