ALBUM REVIEW: Balance And Composure – ‘With You In Spirit’

Balance And Composure is a band that I have been a fan of for a very long time; in fact, I would go so far as to call them my favorite band. Their unique blend of fuzzy grunge grooves, rainy, ambient lead guitars, and haunting, catharsis-driven vocal deliveries have always set them at the top of the crowd for me, being a resounding force that always delivered quality with each and every release.

2011’s Separation was an absolute gut-punch of a debut album, showcasing intricate, reverby leads, powerful grunge riffage, and angsty, sorrowful lyricism. It’s not difficult to see why this lightning-in-a-bottle release caught so much traction in the emo and alternative rock scenes; it was and still is a truly excellent record. That being said, the band followed it up with 2013’s The Things We Think We’re Missing, which was not only an improvement on every front, but I have no qualms calling it nothing short of an absolute masterpiece. It takes every inch of groundwork laid out on Separation and completely improves upon it, all whilst being a tighter, more fluid set of songs. I mean, this is an album that I still listen to on a regular basis over a decade after the fact.

2016’s Light We Made saw Balance And Composure taking a different approach, trading pounding drums and raspy yells for watery, glistening guitars and moody, dejected vocals. It was an album that wasn’t afraid to be ambitious and experimental, and one that I think was well ahead of its time. Despite the mixed reception, it seemed that Light We Made was only propelling what was already a fascinating trajectory for the band. That was until, of course, Balance And Composure announced their shocking imminent break up in 2019, which came alongside a set of farewell shows. As someone who had been avidly following the band since my early high school days, you can imagine how hard I took this news; it was absolutely devastating, and years on into their hiatus, it seemed all hope was lost for a Balance And Composure reunion.

Then, on an unassuming day in April of 2023, Balance And Composure surprised everyone with an announcement of their reunion, which came alongside two brand new songs and several show announcements. I held my breath as I pressed play on the band’s brand new Too Quick To Forgive EP, but to nobody’s surprise, these new songs were nothing short of absolutely stupendous. Once again, the future of Balance And Composure was bright.

Long intro short, here we are in fall of 2024, and we now have a brand new Balance And Composure album, With You In Spirit, just on the horizon. This begs many questions; what does a new Balance and Composure album look like in 2024? Will they maintain the quality of the past? Will it suck? Well, I’m happy to report that not only is With You In Spirit a magnificent album, but it also just might be some of Balance And Composure’s best work yet.

That being said, I have to address the immediate elephant in the room; I hate this album’s intro track, Restless. The soaring, roomy guitars are fine enough, but the robotic, AutoTuned vocals stick out like a sore thumb here, not meshing with the sound of the song in the slightest. Not only this, but the song also ends on a sharp and rather painful swell of feedback, which is not pleasant to listen to. Restless would have been best left on the cutting room floor, or perhaps even entirely rearranged, but in its current form, it’s a truly bizarre catalyzation to what is otherwise a truly fantastic album.

However, as far as criticisms for With You In Spirit go, that’s really all I’ve got; the rest of the album is a truly masterful showing of Balance And Composure’s modern sound, maintaining an extremely high level of quality that doesn’t falter in a single moment from the opening synths of Ain’t It Sweet to the closing fade out of the album’s titular track closer.

The aforementioned Ain’t It Sweet swirls a kaleidoscope of heavy, punchy guitars, moving at a breakneck pace over tidal wave choruses towards what is one of the most kickass bridges the band has ever written, with smashing, chest-pumping kick drums and a wonderfully catchy, chorus-y lead riff. It’s a rather surprising song, with Balance And Composure taking their sound to a level of heaviness that hasn’t been heard in over a decade. While you still won’t hear any harsher vocals returning here (please Jon, if you’re reading this, bring this vocal style back for a song or two), Ain’t It Sweet is a refreshingly energetic track for the band, and to put it bluntly, kicks fucking ass.

Any Means takes things in a different direction, being content to wallow in sorrow, with a rainstorm drenching the surrounding ground. This cut is a bit of a different one for Balance And Composure, with its staccato, repeating acoustic guitars and its crescendoing, gloomy vocal passages. The experimentation here pays off well, as the song is easily a clear standout from With You In Spirit.

However, if we’re talking standouts, then we have to touch on what I consider to be the three best songs on the album, starting with Believe The Hype, one of the best singles released this year. This song in particular is so very The Things We Think We’re Missing-esque, with its stormy, intricately layered instrumentation, huge, catchy chorus, and explosively gritty bridge finale. Believe The Hype truly wastes not a single second of its run time, having just about everything that you could possibly want out of a Balance And Composure track.

Closer To God is another massive highlight, opening with isolated shoegaze-y guitars, and leading soon after into a bleak, melancholic whirlwind that features some truly catchy vocal progressions, as well as dense, layered guitar work. The way this song flows from intro to verse, and then verse into chorus, is just so well written and arranged; it’s clear that Balance And Composure put a lot of thought into how these songs are pieced together.

However, I would be remiss not to touch on the almighty Lead Foot, which is not only the best song on this album, but is also one of the best Balance And Composure songs of all time. Similarly to Closer To God, the song catalyzes with isolated guitars, with a perfectly roomy amount of reverb applied to a gorgeously depressing acoustic guitar riff that repeats throughout most of the song. Though, the song truly becomes the masterpiece that it is once the rest of the instrumentation kicks in on its first verse, with subtle, atmospheric guitar leads, warm, embracing bass grooves, and an interesting, non-straightforward time signature all making Lead Foot clearly stand out amongst the bunch. The icing on the cake here, though, is vocalist Jon Simmons’ absolutely mesmerizing vocal passages and cutting lyricism, making the song truly feel like a lonely drive through the night.

There’s just something about the deep layering and the intricacies of With You In Spirit that truly make it an excellent album, with all of Balance And Composure’s masterful songwriting capabilities being on full display for all to see. Every second of each fully fleshed-out song is so well thought out and so well written that it is truly impressive, even for a band that is already well acquainted with writing fantastic music. The album’s titular track finale is another great example of this, which is especially a highlight of guitarist Erik Petersen and bassist Matt Warner’s ability to perfectly interweave their instruments into a faultless, stunning mix. The way the lead licks and bass riffs dance with one another throughout this gorgeous cut is entirely flawless, highlighting the band’s capability to create an elaborate, detailed instrumental arrangement with ease.

Another important aspect of note is Will Yip’s captivating, grand production work that is easily showcased across the entire run time of ‘With You In Spirit.’ This is especially apparent in sections such as the watery, dousing post-chorus of the Light We Made-esque A Little Of Myself, or the bombastic percussion of Sorrow Machine. Every sound and instrument that you hear across the album (barring that horrendously sharp feedback at the end of Restless) is so perfectly nestled within the mix of With You In Spirit, and I would be foolish not to give props where it is due.

Lastly, I have to mention the obvious; Jon Simmons’ lyricism, while a bit less poetic and far more blunt and literal than past Balance And Composure albums, is truly some of the best in the genre, and that is no different on With You In Spirit. The aforementioned masterpiece that is Lead Foot boasts some of the most gut-wrenching lyrics present on the album, equating the constant worry over the well-being of a friend to their actual physical health on a groggy drive in the night. “I always hope for the best, but something feels wrong in my chest / You’re not alone with laments and you don’t belong to the dead yet” in particular just might be my favorite line from the entire record, perfectly encapsulating what it means to be worried about those that you love. The simple, yet hard-hitting “lead foot and no brakes” should also be notated when discussing this track.

Elsewhere, Closer To God discusses the feeling of isolation that is ensued when the looming monster of religion drives a wedge between familial bonds, and highlights the superiority complex felt by those who are unable to accept your differences. “Tearing the family apart / You’ve got the light while I’m left in the dark / You must be closer to God / Now I’m afraid of the people you are / Was it something I said?” is especially a standout stanza here, detailing the hurt that comes with ostracisation due to religious differences.

Titular track With You In Spirit is perhaps the best display of masterful lyricism shown on the whole record, though, discussing the feelings of guilt and sadness that accompany distancing yourself from family and not being there when perhaps you should. “I’m not pulling my weight as a brother, that gets more true with time” is one of the most honest and vulnerable lines ever heard on a Balance And Composure song, and I commend Simmons’ openness on a subject that is likely not easy to bring to a public forum.

Despite a questionable launch, With You In Spirit does go on to become some of Balance And Composure’s best music to date, showcasing a near-flawless run of songs that are truly captivating and entrancing from beginning to end. It would be one thing to simply have Balance And Composure back and making music again, but to get an album this extraordinary and substantial is truly special, and I am eternally grateful to finally have this truly fantastic piece of music to listen to.

With You In Spirit is nothing short of elegant and polished, easily standing amongst Balance And Composure’s best music to date. Though, as excited as I am to be listening to this album, I am equally, if not more, excited to see where the band goes from here. Will we get more new music? Are they back for good? These are questions that we will surely know the answers to with time, but for now, take 37 minutes out of your day to listen to this absolutely incredible record.

For fans of: Title Fight, Citizen, Movements

‘With You In Spirit’ by Balance And Composure is released on 4th October on Memory Music.

Words by Hunter Hewgley