Lucy Out Loud

July 9, 2012

Review:: Say Your Goodbyes | Nobody Yet

If The Art of Drowning-era A.F.I. and A Day to Remember had a baby together, it would probably sound something like Philadelphia’s up-and-coming Nobody Yet.

Right from the opening notes, this album hits hard and hits early. A heavy riff leading into “I’m Not Locked In Here With You, You’re Locked In Here With Me” sets a high tempo for the rest of the album. Vocalist/guitarist Joe Humeas sounds great throughout, with backing vocal support consistently coming from the rest of the band. The record starts to truly pick up during “You’ll Have to Kill Me First,” the pop/punk-iest track on the album, and is the strongest example of Nobody Yet’s all-around talent on the CD.

The fifth track, “Skip This,” slows the record down for the first time while showcasing Humeas’ pipes, generously accompanied by smooth guitar work from Alaap Parikh. The song eventually fades into an exitlude, which leads to a brief intermission of sorts before “Ray the Locksmith,” much like how Senses Fail’s Still Searching concludes with the continuous “All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues/Negative Space/The Priest and the Matador.”

The song itself sounds like it was written for The Black Parade, but cut when the lyrics didn’t fit. That’s no insult; the song is one of the album’s highest points, beginning with slow, soft vocals until eventually ripping into a slick guitar solo later on.

Ryan Hansen’s solid bass work, along with Matt Zavorski’s drumming, are continuously steady throughout the album. They aren’t given many opportunities to stand out on their own (exception: the introduction to “The Fall of the Great Wall), but are noticeably good.

The closing seven minutes are Parikh’s time to shine. The longest track on the album, “Hurry Up and Take Your Clothes Off,” fades in with police sirens before a half-minute instrumental introduction builds to another of Say Your Goodbyes’ highlights. The lyrics are the harshest on the album, making for a hard-hitting song, coming in at just under six minutes.

The finale - a brief, gentle acoustic guitar solo entitled “Yours Truly,” offers a beautiful contrast to the rest of the album and wraps up the twelve tracks nicely.

Say Your Goodbyes is an album worth the listen. During their three years together, Nobody Yet have worked their tails off, and the effort shows with this full-length. It’s going to sound extremely cheesy to say this, but I don’t really care. Yeah, they may be ‘Nobody Yet,’ but with their musicianship, drive, and a little bit of luck (not an insult, everyone needs luck), that could certainly change in the near future.

Rating: 3/5
Total Runtime: 42 minutes
Release Date: July 3rd

Nobody Yet is:
Joe Humeas – Vocals/Guitar
Ryan Hansen - Bass
Matt Zavorski - Drums
Alaap Parikh - Guitar

Say Your Goodbyes Tracklist:
1. I’m Not Locked In Here With You, You’re Locked In Here With Me
2. The “Borrowing”
3. You’ll Have to Kill Me First
4. You’re Not Cured Yet, Boy
5. Skip This
6. Now Introducing…
7. Ray the Locksmith
8. Lies You Tell Your Lover
9. Thanks for the Frosted Flakes
10. The Fall of the Great Wall (I Guess I’m Human After All)
11. Hurry Up and Take Your Clothes Off
12. Yours Truly

Review By: Eric Riley