BELIEF

First and foremost, this album needs to be labeled "post rock." I guess eclectic prog artists do take a turn for an entire album from time to time, but upon further investigation, this seems like as complete an overhaul in sound one individual can do while still existing somewhat in the previous realm. That being said I love it. I love the change in tone from previous releases. It seems a lot of Good NightOwl's familiar blend of math rock, djent, and electronica, is all but completely absent here, with hints of references to his old releases hanging in the background at moments. This is an album I didn't know could come from this artist. Cupps sings completely in falsetto the whole time, never having done that before. The album has almost all clean reverb guitars and there is only organic instruments in general (bass, guitar, some strings, piano) as opposed to every other release which is heavy in whimsical sounding Yes-style synths and silly midi sounds. The dark cavernous feeling it fills me with reminds me of experimental prog bands like "Leprous" but more subdued and moody like the post metal band "Holy Fawn" which surprises me given what I knew Cupps for was his work with adult swim absurdist comedian Tim Heidecker, who mostly only likes The Beatles and creates his own brand of unironic dad rock. To see Tim working with someone like Cupps makes me think this guy contains massive multitudes. I can tell this album was meant to challenge you in a weird way, to hang with your most heavy thoughts and debate the intention of it in your head. This is not for anyone who gets uncomfortable hearing a minor key for too long, that's for sure! I can understand Cupps stripping it all down and trying to force a change after 17 albums, but I also understand why the average prog fan might find this a hard listen as it more fits in the post rock genre. Either way I'll continue to be excited for whatever twists and turns come from Good NightOwl, as Cupps seems to do whatever he wants with this project regardless of expectation.