Never Meant to Last is Random Parade’s new full length studio album and should advance Gregory Christopher’s reputation as one of indie music’s most promising songwriters. It goes beyond understanding; Christopher doesn’t merely grasp what makes modern iterations of alternative rock and punk, in all its subgenres, click. He effortlessly applies what he knows, mixes a dollop of one sound into something else, and time after time emerges with five-star results. Songwriting competency at such a level is unusual and deserves the widest possible audience.
COVID-19’s coughing shadow looms larger over these songs. One of the 21st century’s seminal events thus far rears its fevered head in songs such as the instrumental opener “Pathogen” and its follow-up “Lockdown”. Any longtime rock fan has heard tracks like “Pathogen” before – it’s a mood-setter and the tone is decidedly bleak. “Lockdown” lightens the listening experience, but that’s relative.
There are aspects of these songs that do mitigate their bleaker concerns, however. Random Parade isn’t averse to utilizing vocal effects throughout Never Meant to Last, but the unfettered lead vocals are likable and surprisingly elastic. Christopher, once again, goes far past mere understanding. He follows the sound in his head and every vocal on Never Meant to Last has dramatic dimension listeners will like.
BANDCAMP: https://randomparade.bandcamp.com/album/never-meant-to-last
“Therapy” is bass-heavy and jettisons much suggestion from synthesizers or keyboards. They play a supporting role and no more. I like the restless churning quality of this track and it gains a lot as well from searing guitar work. The album’s production frames these songs in such a vivid way; the instruments during “Therapy” seem to threaten to leap out of your speakers at any moment. The slow build beginning “Illusion” is another one of the high points of this album. It transitions into a track that nicely alternates between barely restrained fury and an all-out guitar crunch. Dynamics are a critical part of what Random Parade does and they are especially well-tuned in this song.
“Firing Line” is, arguably, the album’s most accessible moment. Casual and hardcore music fans will like this track for so many reasons. It’s a lost love song, blends synths and a rock backbeat together nicely, and there’s some interesting turns in the arrangement that peppers it with an individualistic air. Some of Christopher’s turns of phrase in the lyrics are potent. “Funeral Exhale” does have a light dirge-like quality but soon settles into a much more conventional progression.
The lyric is mesmerizing but imperfect. Christopher crafts an off-beat narrative that’s almost Dylan-esque at times without ever sounding imitative. The alliteration and wealth of concrete details are marred by a couple of unwieldy lines along the way, but the overall song ranks as the album’s most important lyric. It’s the real climax of the album as far as I am concerned, but “This is the Day” isn’t shabby. It ends the album with some of its best guitar work, without question, and dovetails both thematically and sonically with the earlier tracks. Random Parade’s Never Meant to Last is, for my money, one of 2022’s best albums.
Chadwick Easton