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Rating:
As a band with a low commercial profile (certainly in Italy), the Juliana Theory are somewhat peculiar in the crowded system of American emo rock. While their beginnings were purely indebted to the aforementioned genre, with this "Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat," they have evolved. The maturation might be due to a series of internal issues, various label-related troubles, group discrepancies, elements that led to the band’s breakup two years ago. Just enough time to produce this final work, the fourth studio album, featuring a more aggressive sound, more rock 360°, with late-adolescent content that's easily relatable, also thanks to objectively friendly melodies, played on immediately catchy choruses, intense and effective.
As popular wisdom suggests, not all donuts come out with a hole. Indeed, alongside tracks with great drive, fast-paced and engaging, there are others more mellow, too pop, and sappy.
Interesting in this regard are the opener "This Is A Lovesong... For The Loveless," "Shotgun Serenade," "My Heart Is A Soldier," and "10000 Questions," adrenaline-filled and played in one breath, as well as "I Love You To Death," with guitars expanding into airy almost post-rock lullabies. Slightly more colorless are the remaining tracks, among which "Leave Like A Ghost" stands out negatively (at least in my opinion), centered on a melodic base and a conceptual platter already heard; the rest floats in the norm, perpetually balancing between extreme catchiness and a sense of déjà vu, but not for this reason worthy of being discarded.
In conclusion, an interesting group whose evolution I would have liked to follow, which, if it had followed the path outlined by this record, would have given us a mature and reliable band. What happened to JT vaguely reminds me of the story of Matchbook Romance, who also broke up at the point of great change (that "Voices," also already reviewed, generated and continues to generate more than contrasting opinions). Rating 7, therefore, with a touch of regret and sadness for the loss of a band with great prospects.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Shotgun Serenade (04:11)
I know you're dying to tell me everything that you want to say, but I'm not listening.
Try to tell me everything that you want to say.
I know you're trying to force me. Feed me lies but I'm on my way. Can you taste it now?
I'm dying to watch your face when I walk away.
Here's the final bullet to put our love to death. Our days are never coming back.
I know it's you. I can forget. Bang, bang. Shoot, shoot.
There's a freight train coming to force your head in check. Our love is never coming back.
I know it's you. I can forget our love forever ending.
I know you're dying to tell me everything that you want to say, but I'm not listening.
Trying to tell me everything will be okay. Well be okay.
You're trying to warm my heart but you freeze my blood. There's ice inside my veins.
I'm only dying to watch your face when I turn away, and Ill turn away.
But you cannot separate the two things I would live or die for.
I'd kill to separate your heart from your head. That's to die for.
Here's the final bullet to put our love to death. Our days are never coming back.
I know it's you. I can forget. Bang, bang. Shoot, shoot.
There's a freight train coming to force your head in check. Our love is never coming back.
I know it's you. I can forget our love forever ending.
You're just a waste of a song. You're a simple regret.
I thought I knew who you were, but watch how fast I forget.
You wore your prettiest dress, but there's a mess in your head.
They say old habits die hard. I say they're better off dead,
cause you were bitter and cold, but still you burned me alive.
You held the match to my skin and poured the fuel on the fire.
You're not my favorite mistake. You're just a simple regret.
I though I knew who you were, but watch how fast and watch how well I forget.
It's too late to play the good guy. It's too late to play the good guy now.
It's too late to play the good guy. Goodbye.
Here's the final bullet to put our love to death.
Our days are never coming back.
I know it's you that can't forget. Bang, bang. Shoot, shoot.
There's a freight train coming to force your head in check.
Our love is never coming back.
I know it's you. I can forget our love forever ending.
There's a freight train coming to force your head in check. Our love is never coming back.
07 This Valentine Ain't No Saint (03:49)
You got away with murder and all I got was the brunt.
You were swinging you words like punches. It was your shot, your shot, your shot.
At least I got away with your money, and all you got was my heart.
I'm never telling you that I'm sorry, cause it's your fault, your fault, your fault.
But now that you're gone everything is all right. In fact I'm better off this way.
Now that you're dead to me it's all right. I'll never throw my heart away.
You like to point your finger, but girl you know it's not that hard.
You told me that I was heartless, but that's what you got so wrong.
At least I got away with your money, and all you got was my heart.
I'm never telling you that I'm sorry, cause it's your fault, your fault, your fault.
I was minding my own business when you sought me out to shoot me down.
But now that you're gone everything is all right. In fact I'm better off this way.
Now that you're dead to me it's all right. (Shot down again, already dead).
I'll never throw my heart away.
I was minding my own business when you sought me out to shoot me down.
Where were you when I needed you? You just sought me out to shoot me down.
Come on and get it.
Murder.
But now that you're gone everything is all right. In fact I'm better off this way.
Now that you're dead to me it's all right. (Shot down again, already dead).
I never throw my heart away.
Goodbye, goodbye Valentine
That's what you want. That's what you'll get.
08 10,000 Questions (03:59)
You left without a sound.
Ten thousand questions to the answers I never found.
You're not around, and I'm left to chase
ten thousand answers for yesterday.
Like: How could I be so removed in the background waiting for you?
And what do we have? What do we have?
What do we have if we don't have each other now?
You left me here to count ten thousand
questions to the answers. I'd rather drown.
Now I dance alone on the floor you made
of ten thousand answers that never came.
Like: Why am I left to pretend?
I'm trapped in a past life again?
And what do we have? What do we have?
What do we have if we don't have each other now?
What good is dreaming when I can't even sleep here?
What good is lying down with no one to hold?
What good is letting go when something won't let me?
What good is saying goodbye now that you're gone?
And what do we have? What do we have?
What do we have if we don't have each other now?
I'm on my own. I'm all alone. I'm on my own.
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