half•alive Break and Mend Their Own Hearts in 'Conditions of a Punk'
Photo: Yulissa Benitez
With the end of the year almost upon us, most artists would take the time to wind down and prepare for next year. They're either putting out holiday-oriented releases, singles that foreshadow more significant drops slated for next year, or gearing up for tours. However, that is not at all what alt-pop trio half•alive has done with their latest album, Conditions Of A Punk, an end-of-year effort that simply does not miss.
Conditions Of A Punk is an 18-track complex quest through the highs and lows of love and desire that runs listeners through the proverbial gambit, making them want to dance, feel, sing, and have an existential crisis. Josh Taylor from half•alive says, "Conditions Of A Punk is our first album where we allowed ourselves to write on the topic of love. If our debut record, Now, Not Yet, was more cerebral, this sophomore release is much more emotional. It's the breaking and mending of a heart, it's the realigning of a soul. It's an expression of a breakup and a healing, it's both about a person and God in the same breath."
The album opens with the title track, "Conditions Of A Punk," delving into the intricacy and enigma of desire—the space between love, lust, and desperation. The lyrics themselves mirror the rawness and vulnerability with which a human being can love. Personally, this song grew on me with its existential realization of what is and isn't love and how we discover the difference, which overall sets up the whole point of the album. Listeners are then transported to "Summerland," an anthem that evokes late summer nights and new beginnings with its breezy instrumentation. "Summerland" is written from a hopeful point of view as frontman Josh Taylor uses the changing of seasons to symbolize growth and maturity.
Tracks like "Brighton" and "High Up" are both solid bops with sleek, subdued synths, but "Hot Tea" definitely arrives as a standout cut. It's a uniquely styled song that oscillates from bare production to catchy, trap-inspired sonics in the chorus. It's lyrically intimate, with instrumentation that only builds in desperation as Taylor continues to share his desire to be loved by someone. We then transition into the equally heavy hitting "Did I Make You Up?" The track calls into question a terminated relationship after the dust has settled. Taylor asks himself if what he and his lover had was real and questions if they purposefully chose to look past their flaws, molding a partner into what they wanted them to be instead of who they were.
The dance-inducing "Nobody" leads into one of the album's more obviously spiritual tracks, "Move Me," a spiritual experience that did, in fact, "move me" in a way I didn't see coming. The song begs and pleads with a higher power, or maybe a person, to be moved while ethereal instrumentation swirls throughout, sonically resembling the brewing of some great storm yet to come.
"Never Been Better" stands out as the band's only song to have a feature. It oozes anguish, and alt-pop singer Orla Garland's vocals are a superb addition to a piece that sounds like a friend checking in on someone putting up a front of "living their best life" when they're secretly falling apart. "Back Around" is poised to bring you to tears. It's an anthem centered around recovery and finding peace amidst the chaos. Filtered guitars make listeners want to dance while lyrics like, "I've been on my own, changing with the seasons / Dying with the lеaves, I'm coming back around," encourage us to accept that life is an inevitable cycle of highs and lows. "Everything Machine" is highly creative in comparing screen usage to a toxic relationship. It serves as a commentary on our dependency on technology, specifically our phones, and wields clever lyricism as a harsh reminder that our devices are becoming our most intimate relationships.
"Lost" serves as the album's closer, ending Conditions Of A Punk with a reprieve of sorts. It's a stirring piano ballad that explores the idea of being lost while still embarking on a journey toward wholeness. We can't help but empathize and root for the album's protagonist as they ask themselves questions like, "Was it my fault, the end of a dream?" and "Am I in love or blind to my grief?"
In addition to ending the year with a bang, half•alive has announced the North American leg of their 2023 "Conditions Of A Punk Tour," which starts in spring following the band's UK and European dates. The 23-date tour kicks off on April 15 in Phoenix, AZ, at The Van Buren and will make stops across North America in Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Vancouver, and more before wrapping up in Los Angeles, CA, on May 19 at The Wiltern.
Listen to Conditions of a Punk below:
