A Fragile Tomorrow, as a band, began gaining attention for their musical talents back in 2015, with their first politically charged album “Make Me Over.” It was album that combined ruminative lyrics with good ol’ fashioned rock and roll. Their 2019 release “Generational Loss,” would continue this trend, but with their new release, “It’s Better That Way,” they’ve changed up the formula a little bit.
Now, saying A Fragile Tomorrow are bucking their old sound isn’t accurate in the slightest. Rock and roll musings are still all over this album, and the lyrics on here are as politically charged as ever. Instead, everything’s a bit softer now. Instrumentation is more laid-back, but as a replacement, extra thought has been given to more interesting musical choices.
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Texturally, “It’s Better That Way,” is an intensely fascinating romp through a vast musical landscape. Lots of interesting textural moments within the simple arrangements, like the sweet smooth groove in the song “Lost In Art.” While the band’s earlier albums experimented more, this album achieves similarly complex results even with a more modest board of instruments.
Band singer-songwriter and guitarist Sean Kelly pairs with his brother Brendan Kelly for the majority of writing on the record. Both are credited with songwriter tokens on most of the songs, and they carry exactly what made the first few albums from the band stand out. This secret sauce of course being the band’s politically charged lyrics and messages.
With their former band mate and lead writers’ brother Dominic Kelly leaving to pursue a career in political activism, the onus has fallen upon the two remaining brothers to deliver a satisfactory set of songs for the album. As you can probably tell, they’ve succeeded, making a full list of songs that while clear in their message, are also just plain enjoyable outside of that.
Respective bassist Shaun Rhoades and drummer Josh Kean really brandish their musical talents in “It’s Better That Way.” Shaun’s driving bass lines keep the songs here fun, Josh’s drumming is simply splendidly done. Both are key to preserving the more guttural, rugged feel that pops up on many of the album’s songs.
In a time where many bands are going as commercial and clean cut as possible, A Fragile Tomorrow instead goes the opposite direction. Musically, they’ve brought things back to their rock and roll essentials, while lyrically they stay charged as ever. This all works in their favor however, and it makes for an intensely interesting listen all the way through. Solid album!
