A Home Video in Flames: The Sounds of Nostalgia and Decay
Perhaps one of the most difficult experiences in life is the simple act of growing up. With the power of reminiscing comes the responsibility of reflection, and in turn, we are met with an all-too-familiar sense of loss. The loss of what we once had as children, perhaps the loss of what could have been, or most devastatingly, the loss of what we should have had entirely. Regardless, early adulthood grants us the ability to look back on our childhoods without nostalgia’s rosy tint, allowing us to do something once thought impossible- understand and empathize with our past in all of its beauty and ugliness.
Canadian synth-laden emo act idialedyournumber captures this complex emotion with excruciating precision in their newest album, Mourning Glow. Thematically framed as a home video viewing experience, the album presents the past caught on tape- validating the joy of early childhood while simultaneously exposing the reality of the environment in which we were raised. The first and last tracks, Authenticating… and Deactivating…, bookend the album with the nostalgic hum of VHS playback, grounding you the listener in a space of memory and reflection, while the middle section serves as chapters in our growth and understanding of how we were raised and how that affects our lives to this day.
