Sleeping With Sirens’ first studio album in four years and the first after their return with Rise Records, An Ending in Itself dives into an aged perspective as the band has grown older. While the years have passed (much swifter than any former emo kid wishes to admit), the post-hardcore elements fans first fell in love with are still very much prevalent with their updated sound.
Kicking off with the title track, “An Ending in Itself,” brings on a desire for authenticity, a pleading for honesty. It’s the start of an album which focuses on a rawer sound and DIY background, and the opening highlights just that with the band’s melodic emo core pulling through. Lines such as “There’s a happy ending, it’ll change with time…” strengthen the track with a foreboding sense of what is to come coinciding with a large dynamic beat.
“Forever/Always,” hits harder than an ordinary love song. The second track is an oath, a vow to be strong when the other is weak, to work through the struggles of life together. Warm riffs accompany the verses.
Barreling with energy, “God in My Head,” pulls its weight as a poetic inward-seeking banger. Piled high with heavy drumming and chaotic riffs, immense emotion unravels in this personal story of one’s faith, or lack of it. Deeply moving, melodic and loud, two sides compete for control and turn this track into a harrowing epic.
The vulnerable “Need You Here,” follows “God in My Head” with the heavy emotions. Hammered with regret for time not spent, the song carries on a similar sentiment and vow to the second track. Musically, distorted riffs rival with a banging drumbeat while slick electric notes fire up between.
Rhythmic acoustic strumming begins “Left on Repeat,” although the song is far from an acoustic coffeeshop track. Hard rock riffs race through once the full band kicks in while snappy verses and fiery layers work in the restless nature of the song’s topic. Quinn spits rap-style lines, a drastic shift from the band’s usual sound. “Left On Repeat,” reigns as one of the album’s unique bangers meshing in various hard rock elements together.
“House of Matches,” may be the most polished pop sounding track An Ending in Itself offers, turning only slightly away from heavy rock to take on a more expansive beat. Situated right in the middle of the album, “House of Matches,” rings in vivid imagery on the verses and plays with vocal effects. A breakdown on the bridge brings back the angst. The message is simple: choose your battles. A reminder that not everything is worth your anger and sometimes the worst challenges are the ones in your own head.
Songs like “Paralyzed” feel like a rush of blood to the head. Brimming with raw power and energy, a melodic chorus serves as a breather while the verses stack atop one another and convulse into the madness. “Paralyzed” is all about full pressure and chaos without a moment to breathe and the structure of the song taps into those panic-induced feelings.
The numbing “Process” follows next, trailing the energetic panic attack with a vow to do better despite the constant pressure. Quinn’s familiar high vocals prevail above the soaring intensity of the instrumentation, an emotional breakthrough that dares to look within.
Emo mid-2000’s beats and slamming riffs full of distortion, “PTSD,” musically sounds the closest to old school Sleeping with Sirens. “PTSD,” growls with fury and impatience, a song worthy of a mosh pit.
Full notes ring out against a slow pacing in “Looking Back at Me,” another faith-based hymn that takes a more hopeful approach. A harrowing bass-heavy beat captivates and solidifies the track into a thrilling soul-searching performance.
“Storm Clouds,” closes out the album. “There’s a storm that’s raging in my brain turning my eyes into a blur…” paints the scene, a scene that has been prevalent throughout the journey. “Storm Clouds,” is not only an ending to a post-hardcore album, but a testament of what’s been promised all along, a vow to grow and learn and not be defined by choices of one’s youth.
An Ending in Itself stands out as one of the band’s most personal releases. Working alongside producer Will Yip, the band took it back to basics with the songwriting, spending days to even weeks forming and mastering each track instead of writing everything together in quick studio sessions. The album combines the band’s earlier emo-core foundation and melodic riffs with an emotionally charged perspective that comes with age and experience. The band along with their fanbase has grown up in the course of two decades and a record like An Ending in Itself has less to do with recreating the golden days of youth but remembering them and the lessons learned as the group enters new phases of their lives.
I’m Music Magazine Music Journalist Alice Kearney
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