After eight years of silence in the studio album department, legendary New York alternative rock band Brand New has released their brand new (ha ha ha) fifth full-length LP, Science Fiction. After months of unending speculation, a select group of very lucky fans received a mysterious disc containing what was revealed to be the new album, which is also believed to be the group’s final studio album according to statements made by frontman Jesse Lacey.

I wanted to make this particular review special because this may actually be the final notch in the discography of a band that changed countless lives, revolutionized a genre of music, and is responsible for influencing a plethora of musicians across a variety of sonic spectrums. For me personally, Brand New has never been a band that I’ve turned to regularly, nor have I considered them to be life-altering for me personally, but they shaped my perspective on alternative and “emo” music with a particularly interesting writing style. Deja Entendu was one of the first records that I could honestly say made me feel emotions I had never felt before, and I connected to that record deeply. But, outside of that record and The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, I haven’t felt too deeply connected to any of their other records.

Science Fiction can only be described as exhausted, yet restless. The whole record has an extremely fatigued vibe, from the six minute opening track “Lit Me Up” where vocalist Lacey croons “If we’re just dust, then it doesn’t matter who you kill/Don’t cut me up and tell me that it’s okay/Just turn it off ‘cause I don’t care anyway” to the apocalyptic ballad “137” where Lacey sings “Let’s all go play Nagasaki/We can all get vaporized/Hold my hand, let’s turn to ash/I’ll see you on the other side”, there is an abundance of the stereotypical vocal delivery that Lacey employed on previous records. His dejected, half spoken/half sung vocals occasionally fall behind the forceful instrumentals on tracks like “Waste” and “No Control”.

Instrumentally, the record relies heavily on acoustic guitars and drums that act more like a whispering background voice rather than a powerful burst of percussion. The band employs plenty of musical influences, like on “Could Never Be Heaven”, where the band sounds like they’re covering Simon and Garfunkel’s folky, simplistic approach to songwriting. The song’s production makes it feel bigger than a standard folk song, but Lacey’s crooning keeps it tethered to that influence.

Clocking in at just over a full hour, much of the record’s run time is dedicated to droning instrumentation, repetitive, echoing vocals, and mysterious recordings which supposedly features voices of patients undergoing psychiatric evaluation. There are plenty of elements on this record that are classic Brand New, but the band also explores a few new ideas, like on “Same Logic/Teeth”, which incorporates an inexplicable fusion of bluesy guitars and unfamiliar vocals into a song that songs like a more punk take on a Devil and God song.

In all, this record does in fact feel like the band’s farewell to their listeners. From peaks that are reminiscent of a drug-induced high to valleys that are just downright exhausted-sounding, the record quite literally burns itself out and dies in an epic blaze of glory. Science Fiction may in fact be the band’s magnum opus; from a musicianship standpoint, it builds upon everything the band has built in the past two decades. Lyrically, Jesse Lacey gives his all to impart a sense of dejection, and does it quite successfully (as he always has.) What really gives this records its’ character, however, is the unbelievable production that gives it definition, enhancing the moments of power as well as the moments of fatigue.

It’s hard to truly pick apart every element that the record brings to the table. There’s so much to sift through musically and lyrically, but there are so few dull or uninteresting moments that the record is bound to grow exponentially on the listener with each play through.

Rating: 9/10

Download: “Waste”, “137”, “No Control”