If I Were You Deliver Poignant Collection Of Metalcore Anthems Via New Album ‘Inner Signals’

If I Were You’s strength feels like it rests largely on how personable they are, even in the midst of their heaviness. They sound like they fully embrace their craft and vision on their new album Inner Signals, out this week, and it lets their music shine that much more fully. That embrace of the person goes both ways, including their own ambitions as artists and their listeners, wherever they may find themselves when they first encounter the band’s new record.

Their niche rests in that place where too many of us find ourselves as time goes on — lost in despair and wondering how we’re going to get forward. The lyrics present stories associated with that dark place that hit a perfect spot and don’t beat you over the head but aren’t completely lost and meandering, either. If I Were You sound like they’ve completely done away with any and all of the industry’s frills and just zeroed in on their ambition. There’s no sense of beating around the bush — at all, really, and it’s a welcome feature.

This feeling continues on into their music, which feels precise but sonically expansive and is certainly often crushing too. While existing in a somewhat familiar “-core” framework, the songs do remain uniquely the band’s own and prove increasingly musically interesting through unique combinations. If I Were You’s music conveys a sense of thoughtful emotion, as it’s clear that the tunes themselves were conceived of thoughtfully rather than haphazardly slapped together — and ultimately there’s even a sense of narrative progression through a cycle of grief as one makes their way through the album. That cycle supports a looming weight that doesn’t even feel fully known or knowable but remains pressing down all the same — although overall there’s a combined sense of catharsis-driven recovery and even some triumph.

Again though, these emotional undercurrents are not at all present only because of the lyrics. Every element of the band feels well synthesized and presents together as incredibly strong, and there’s most definitely a place for this band in the modern alternative metal scene.

5/5 Stars

Check them out below via Bandcamp