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…that encapsulates who the band is and what to expect from them in the future.
Bleachers is ToyMachine!'s first full-length project, featuring 14 tracks, ten songs, and four skits.
The album is 32 minutes long, with the longest song being the outro of the album and the last single released, Runaway Pt. 2.
ToyMachine! packs this album with Rap Rock bangers and Post Grunge anthems. Every song has a purpose, ranging from mosh pit ragers to high school love songs.
Songs like Move & Fight show the band's heavy side, incorporating heavier guitar playing and pounding drums. Meanwhile, songs such as Bleachers & Paradise show the band's sensuality.
Every song on the album is a testament to the band's commitment to their sound. They have embraced many genre influences throughout the record, creating a cohesive and engaging listening experience.
The album starts with a 59-second Intro featuring a piano-backed audio recording of Michael O’Connor, Mikey’s (Bassist) father, coaching the young football star in an intense football game.
The album's theme of football and high school plays a huge role throughout the record, bringing the listener a sense of nostalgia for the times of innocence and blissful confidence.
Following this, we have the monstrous Move, with marching guitars and a booming drum beat, creating a feel of running onto the football field and preparing for the final game against the rival school across town.
Sitting Alone, the second single from the album, borders the line between a Nu-Metal banger and an entry-level Screamo song.
Ray (Vocalist) screams his head off on the chorus of this song, complemented by chunky guitar riffs and a groovy drum fill. Sitting Alone is the tightest and most aggressive track on the album.
The title track, Bleachers (one of my favorites), is the sensual song on the album. This is where the teen angst comes into full force, and Ray visualizes a young romance between two individuals who are making love in various places and forgetting all the consequences of doing so.
Ray then sees the infamous Brog. A bat with frog legs, with see-through skin, like smoke? “YES BRO!!!”
This skit is followed by the song Full of Smoke, where Ray shows his rapping ability over a sporadic rock instrumental. Another tight moment on the album, with this song going from very groovy to intense to back to groovy within four minutes. The band planned this song out, note by note.
Runaway Pt. 1, the first single from the album, is another excellent, straightforward rock song. The band went all in to make this one of the loudest songs on Bleachers, with the cleanest production on the entire album.
Douchebag, with the ear-worm of “My girlfriend thinks I’m a DOUCHEBAG,” is one of the catchiest songs on Bleachers. Ryan (Guitarist) showcases his guitar skills in this song, creating one of the catchiest ToyMachine! riffs. Ray sings with the most passion in this song.
The song Oxygen showcases the band's Hip-Hop roots with Mikey taking rains for the majority of the song's appeal, showcasing the bass players importance of any band. Ray raps his head off on this song, spitting bar after bar, creating a somewhat severe tone on Bleachers.
Who is… ToyMachine!...?
Fight is the adrenaline filler on the already intense album. This song visualizes a boxing match between two eager fighters. Everything about this song gets you pumped up, from Ray's confident vocal delivery to the tight instrumental. Greg's (Drummer) impressive snare hits keep the song's energy moving.
IF SOMEONE COMES UP IN YOUR F*CKING GRILL… ONE TWO THREE FOUR (School of Rock Skit)
As the album nears the fourth quarter, we receive the song Paradise, one of the many love songs on the album. With grittier production, this song is all over the place structurally yet very catchy. Paradise continues the themes of romantic love among young individuals, this time with a more naive point of view.
Runaway Pt. 2, the last single released before the release of Bleachers, breaks your heart while bringing the listener back to a time of innocence. This song is one of the more dramatic tracks on the album, leaving the record on a cliffhanger.
Where will the band go next? Sonically or topically, will they continue with the themes of Bleachers or go in a new direction?
The album is more than a record of music. Bleachers is a story with a plot that can be transformed into a film. Despite music being limited to the audio realm of believability, not many records can make you visualize how the album could be imagined.
There was something special about movie soundtracks. This album is the soundtrack to any angsty teen flick of the late 90s. Bleachers scream American Pie’s insecurity of love. Bleachers encapsulate the rush and uncertainness of Superbad. Bleachers showcase the tension of The Breakfast Club. The album is grounded in the realness of the feelings this record produces, with the real moments from the band presented by the skits.
A different type of production goes into the “movie soundtrack song.” Whether unintentional or not, there's a distinct feeling the song gives off when paired with a particular scene in a movie. Ryan was not kidding when saying the music off Bleachers was similar to watching a movie.
As of this blog's writing, music videos have yet to be released. However, the fans and I will be interested to see how the band presents a visual body of work that complements the album's themes of naive love and angst.
Overall, this album is a fantastic entry for ToyMachine!’s catalog that fans, new and old, will appreciate.
STAY SLUDGY!!!
(Article by Steven Wease)