Belted Sweater- I'm Fucking Delightful

I’m not really the most social person on the planet and have been told multiple times that I am intimidating. Because of that, I like to tell everyone at work that “I’m a fucking people person and people fucking love me”. Honestly, it’s not wrong. People do love me and my sarcasm which my manager may find weird at times. That being said, as soon as I saw the title of Belted Sweater’s new-ish album, I knew I just had to check it out.

“Fem Top” starts off as airy before electronic notes take over with a faint screaming behind them and an intense drumbeat. This opening track absolutely drew me in and kept me intrigued as to what would come from this album. Although I kept waiting for the vocals to clear up in this track, I subconsciously loved the fact that they never really did and this track continued on for the entirety with this almost noise and experimental sound to it. The amount of raw power in this track is obvious and it made me so excited to see what else this ten-track album would bring to my speakers.

The pace quickens for “Bliss”. The vocals still have this grainy style to them that reminds me of a local favorite of mine, Marijuana Deathsquads. Although grainy, you can feel the passion, emotion, and conviction that comes with each word. As the vocals are screeching, the instrumentation keeps the almost experimental vibe going with electronic sounds being smothered by the relentless cymbals and drumming. I was lost trying to catch everything in this song that I had to go back and listen again before moving onto “Holymotherfuckingghost”.

I found this band through “Holymotherfuckingghost” and as soon as the track kicked off, I remembered this track from when I listened to it the first time just a couple of weeks ago. Although there’s not much difference stylistically in this track from the others, there’s less chaos in this track. I love chaos, I really do, but I had a rough day so this track really hit the spot. “The Aging Homosexual Charm Offensive” seemed to match that less-chaotic sound perfectly. Although the beat is driving in this one, the cymbals that were so prominent in the first two tracks seem to be a back place and let the keys (at least I’m assuming it’s some sort of keyboard) take the wheel.

“Unsolicited” starts with a beefy drum part with almost static energy attached before the vocals that are very Belted Sweater comes in. I decided to really focus on the lyrics during this track. They are a bit brash. Okay, they are very brash, but also very emotive in just the word choice. Although all of these tracks feel busy, I realized that there really aren’t lines of words on this album. More just quick two-word phrases. I’d be lying if I said this didn’t bug me because I’m such a lyric person but it also intrigued me. I continued following along to the words as “You People Are Dynamite” started playing and I realized just how heartbreaking the words really are. “Drunk text Rolodex/ Tired of being alone/ 3rd alternate/ Fuck it/ Take me home”. I think we’ve all been there and we all know that heartbreak. It hit me during those lines just how perfectly the aggressive yet almost hidden vocals work with these words. The way they just kind of give in to the instrumentation reads as an act of defeat to me and that’s more powerful than any catchy chorus.

Things lighten up in a strange way for “BPD”. Although the lyrics are still dark and still very cryptic, something in the instrumentation feels a little bit lighter when it comes to this track. The drums are still there, the guitars and the keys- all still there. I honestly can’t put my finger on it and I spent the entire track trying to figure it out but to no avail. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with my thoughts, “Optimistically Relative” took over and brought back that darker vibe that reigned supreme through the first few tracks. I honestly had to break out a dictionary to follow along with this track and, although the words still felt cryptic to me, I loved that it made me think.

The brighter feeling felt during “BPD” comes back for “Insignificance” with a vengeance. I don’t want to call this dancey but it has very dancey aspects to it. A constant walking key line adds a little bit of whimsy to this track before the band crushes it with their darkness that they do so expertly. About halfway through, you get a mix of the whimsy and the dark for the remainder of the track. That balance is seriously such a fine line but Belted Sweater tows it so perfectly. I decided to do a little research as I let this track play and when I realized that Belted Sweater is actually the one-man project of Christopher Patrick Gregory, I was floored. The amount of sound in this album is ridiculous and to think that a single person did all of this truly has my mind blown.

Although this album comes in with a sense of power, it ends on a lighter note. The title track, “I’m Fucking Delightful” ends this album with more calm than heard throughout the rest of the album. Don’t get me wrong, it still has an undeniable sense of power and almost chaos at times but it almost feels like just the ending to a really good story. It ties up the loose ends and sends you on your way for whatever else you have to conquer.

This album isn’t for people who just passively listen to music. Everything from the lyrics to the instrumentation to the brilliant drumming demands your attention and analysis. Thankfully, I don’t know how to passively listen to music so this was right up my alley. What an extremely intense and amazing trip.

My Favorite Track(s): “Holymotherfuckingghost”; “You People Are Dynamite”

For Fans Of: Chaos; Power; Experimental Things

Mosh-ability: 3 out of 10

What My Cats Thought Of It: Artie sat right under my feet; Autumn hid upstairs

How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 9 out of 10

My Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

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Check out ‘I’m Fucking Delightful’ HERE!

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