Trying Not to Have a Thought

Algernon Cadwallader

2025 appears to be a good year for emo comebacks as Philadelphia's Algernon Cadwallader saw fit to drop their first record in fourteen years. I wasn't previously familiar with the group but they have the familiar trappings of a midwest emo band; namely, the noodly clean guitars, and the expressive, (some would say) polarizing vocals. It's not a style I typically go for, but after seeing the band receive such high praise, I figured I would see what all the hype was about. I can definitely see it; Trying Not to Have a Thought has its fair share of memorable riffs, righteous ragers, and pointed social commentary. Where I diverge from the more glowing reviews, I find the band isn't the most consistent in these areas, or rarely connects multiple strengths within a song. Even though my evaluations seem to fall short of the consensus, I still think it's a decent album with a couple noteworthy tracks.

My favourite track is noitanitsarcorP. It handily has my favourite guitar riff on the record thanks to the balance of melodic runs and chromatic dissonance. Another tiny, yet effectively catchy detail are Peter Helmis' echoed yelps in the verse. My runner up for best track is surprisingly What's Mine; the longest and most chill cut. I really dig the folky twang this track has and each noodly riff sounds different from the last. There's some messy guitar interjections that will occasionally pop up, effectively maintaining my attention. There's also some heavenly crescendos with soothing Rhodes piano chords and patient, spacious drumming. The track coasts to a close with a meditative section that is quite comforting. Some honourable mentions include Shameless Faces (even the guy who made the thing was a piece of shit) because of its righteous energy as well as some of the album's most animated vocals from Helmis. Lastly, Million Dollars wins the prize for best writing with clever, somewhat satirical commentary on misappropriated funds. Helmis criticizes the emergence of hostile architecture, a callous tactic used to control the behaviours of the homeless. These strategies neither prevent or resolve people living in substandard conditions.

There are more great examples of progressive politics in the album's lyrics. However, they're not always presented in the most focused or coherent manner. Case in point: Revelation 420. This track really suffers from stream of consciousness, disjointed one-liners that read like an unproductive outburst. The song is also home to questionable lines like "don't assume your teacher is right, do your own education;" a sentiment I would say is largely held by the right side of the aisle. Certainly, I think it is important to be critical of experts, but telling your audience to do their own research (especially at a time when media literacy is at a staggering low) feels like the pipeline to conspiracy theories and vaccination skepticism. Do I think this was Helmis' intention? Probably not, but to ensure that audiences are receiving your message accurately, it helps to be not so vague. The lyrics on this track are only half the problem as Helmis' vocal performance is also painful to sit through. It's passionate for sure, but the lack of melody and variation in his delivery amounts to nothing more than incessant wailing. This track unfortunately was a total non-starter for me.

There's a couple more underwhelming cuts in the back half of the record, like the title track and ATTN Move, which I didn't find to have very compelling riffs or lyrical themes. And while I like the melodies as well as the sentiment that everyone (regardless of economic status) is deserving of dignity and respect, the closing track feels incredibly brief and a little anticlimactic. It's unfortunate because I think Trying Not to Have a Thought comes out of the gate super strong. If the band could've maintained that momentum with more energetic, catchy, topically focused songs, then I could get behind this record a little more.