I Can See Mountains :: Life on a Houseboat :: Panic Records

Written by: Andrea Janov, CC2K Music Editor

I Can See Mountains’ Life on a Houseboat starts in medias res. There is no warm up, there is no warning, you are just thrown into the middle of this experience.

The first track, One Mirror, Two Bodies is an indie/pop punk/emo hybrid that gets you excited for the rest of the album. It is super high energy with layered vocals, a lot of melody, and the slightest bit of gruffness. It instantly made me psyched to hear the rest of the album. Life On a Houseboat is a album that crawls deep inside of you, each of the tracks is both melodic and menacing – and that is something that really strikes you somewhere viscerally.

Life on a Houseboat and Sea Legs both start of as slower and mellower tracks that have movements catchy and moments that are totally chaotic with overlapping vocals and frantic music. This dichotomy works perfectly to totally suck you in. Snake Eater is a rawer more naked track with some great lyrics, “I’m dressing up to feel important while I’m really fucking up / No shame behind a family hair cut”. There is a cadence that really carries you through the track.

I Play the Fox is catchy, fun, and tongue in cheek with a lot of duel vocals and great sing along backing vocals. Sweater Science is slow, almost hymn-esq, with a drum beat that is dark and brooding. One Big Table begins soft and delicate before it becomes one big sing along and finally ends with a bit of screamo style vocals.

The most interesting element of this album to me, was that each of the tracks has a progression. They never conclude in the same style or tone that they began in and the transition always feels natural.