ALBUM REVIEW: Anberlin – ‘Currency’

You know what? If Anberlin are going to keep Matty Mullins on and reduce his free time for Memphis May Fire’s noise pollution, that’s totally fine. At least that way, he can make the squeaky-clean, Christian-friendly emo that he’s clearly most fond of, instead of pretending to still care about metalcore.

But let’s rewind for a sec, because unless you’ve actively been keeping tabs on Anberlin (which…why would you?), Mullins’ involvement at all might be news to you. He was originally a fill-in for Stephen Christian, featuring on their two-EP compilation Vega, before joining full-time and having Currency as his true, proper debut. Not an especially interesting tale, but Anberlin have never been an interesting band, nor has their new frontman.

Still, it could be worse; Currency could be less okay than it is. ‘Okay’ is where the line is drawn, though. For a band like Anberlin whose value comes exclusively from nostalgia, that’s a firm upper limit. Recent works from Silverstein or even Story Of The Year have proven that 2000s emo doesn’t have to be perpetually lodged there, but Anberlin? Nah, that’s about it for them. The fact that they previously re-recorded Never Take Friendship Personal with Mullins’ vocals suggests that moving forward in significant fashion is not a prerogative. For any touts of a ‘bold, new era’ that can be made in Currency’s way, the album itself feels pretty un-bold and un-new.

Part of the blame for that needs to go to Mullins, too. No doubt fronting such a formative band for him is a wonderful honour, but you also have to account for how we’re dealing with Matty Mullins here. In his defence, if you’d spent however long in Memphis May Fire, you’d also sound jaded and bored with life. Nevertheless, an opportunity like this demands an enthusiasm that never goes far enough. Highstakes really stands out for that, a pop-rock song whose featherweight production is cut up by the hoarse edges in Mullins’ voice. He’s better and smoothed-out on Neverafter or Relapse, though any charisma is still wholly absent. There’s nothing on Currency that only Mullins and Mullins alone could bring.

Ultimately, that feels like such wasted potential for more. Unless you’re a dyed-in-the-wool lover of modern Christian rock, you aren’t going to care about the personal significance of Mullins being this new vocalist, and it begins to come across more like a misbegotten stunt cast. It certainly isn’t nudging Currency to any higher realms of quality. Thus, Anberlin’s ‘okay’-ness becomes an upper limit drawn by no one but themselves. The lack of interest in trying new things is almost depressingly palpable, as if this really has been shovelled out solely to keep the brand alive. It feels that way on a song like Trenches, featuring Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman for a further dollop of piety on this treacly ballad about lifting someone up in trying times.

Again, though…it could be worse. Anberlin don’t sound uninvested, in turn aiding the album’s thick, flagrant nostalgia by making out that that’s not all it has. How good of a job it does is purely subjective, but quick, no-nonsense emo-pop hooks tend to go down easily enough. It’s one of those cases where not being on the lowest possible rung is its greatest saving grace. You’d never seek out Gravity or Ghost—there are countless examples that aim higher and hit way harder—but the rancor towards them is duller than it could be.

By no means is that a glowing endorsement, nor can it be twisted to even resemble one. Instead, it’s one of those cases where ‘taking what you can get’ is artificially buffed up by being the only option. That’s especially true in a vacuum, where you’re less liable to notice production that’s often unseasoned, or songwriting that’s only impressive to the non-secular crowd. Even beyond those, there are low points practically slap you in the face, like the aforementioned Trenches, or the closer Ashes and its abnormally protracted outro that doubles its overall length.

So, yeah, Currency isn’t all that good, but it’s one that still fires off some charitable synapses to just about let it slide. It’s a closer call than others, even then, but what can you do? Anberlin have weaponised their style and sound for this exact outcome, so you can’t complain all that much when it works. Granted, it’d be nicer to have something that’s unequivocally good, that could make Anberlin feel like productive members of modern musical society. Alas, that’s not what Currency is. It’s high-calorie, additive-laden junk food, the sort you might enjoy for exactly as long as it takes to consume, and then forget / regret it immediately after.

For fans of: Story Of The Year, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Emery

‘Currency’ by Anberlin is released on 11th November on Rude Records / Equal Vision Records.

Words by Luke Nuttall