A Thousand Times Goodnight/ Elephants EP
A Thousand Times Goodnight/ Elephants EP
A Thousand Times Goodnight is an up-and-coming post hardcore band from Bergen County, New Jersey. In 2012, they released their first EP, entitled Elephants and it has proven to be a big hit with their fans ever since. With a mix of clean and heavy vocals that will have you singing along, catchy and memorable guitar riffs, and drum beats that make you want to move, Elephants definitely deserves a spot in your iTunes library.
The album opens with “Things Are Different Now.” My initial reaction to hearing this song was, “wow, these guys are no joke.” This song is so well written and put together that for a second I thought I was listening to Of Mice and Men. While these guys do have a sound that resembles OM&M, they also have their own unique sound that is made immediately evident with this first track. “Things Are Different Now” sets the tone for the entire EP, and that tone is one of absolute professionalism, a great overall sound, and an evident love for the music they create.
The next track is “Lessons.” This song is an excellent demonstration of just how talented each member of this band is individually, with superior vocals, spotless drums, and guitar riffs that will be stuck in your head for days. All of this combined with catchy and memorable lyrics definitely put this song at the top of the list for me.
The third song on the EP is “If I Were You I’d Think This Through.” This song has vocals that are on point. When vocalist Scott Zipperle belts out the lyrics “I found my calling,” he really isn’t kidding. Clean vocalist Cody McLeish also shines on this track, with a sound that is so uniquely his own. This song is also great because it has a little bit of everything, and it’ll definitely have you singing along, dancing, and head-banging. These guys are all awesome musicians and they’re putting out seriously quality songs.
When listening to Elephants, the first thing that really stuck out to me was how evident the hard work and time they put into it was. This is seen in the absolutely seamless transition from “If I Were You I’d Think This Through” to the fourth track “Re:Birth.” In a previous interview about the misunderstanding of the hardcore genre, A Thousand Times Goodnight Guitarist Robert Alfonso told me, “A lot of hardcore is really passionate and uplifting in both musicality and lyrics.” “Re:Birth” definitely fits that bill. Just from the one minute instrumental introduction of this song, you will be able to tell that it really is something exceptional. The continued quality of instrumentals and vocals plus lyrics like “This is my rebirth, a triumph from here on./ I'll overcome the obstacles and pick up all those who fall” make this song totally memorable, and almost chillingly beautiful.
The final song on the EP Elephants is called “New Land, New Man.” At 2:55, something very special happens which I believe defines this band. That very special something is the following lyrics, simply spoken over the instrumentals: “What you own in the mind and heart/ It can never be stripped away from you./ For the first time in a while/ I really felt a part of something./ We all have a purpose here/ And I tell you each and every one of you/ It is to go show the world who you truly are.” Not only is this noteworthy because of its musicality, simplicity, and overall beauty, but it also really tells the listener that A Thousand Times Goodnight is here to stay. They’re going to show the world who they are, and they’re going to do it by (hopefully) producing many more quality albums like Elephants.
Conclusion: Elephants is an awesome first EP for A Thousand Times Goodnight, as it really showcases the band’s raw talent. It also demonstrates the love for the music they produce, and the high quality which they produce it at. If you like bands like Of Mice & Men, you will definitely like Elephants.
Songs to check out: Things Are Different Now, Re:Birth