Album Review: First Day Back - Forward

For a nostalgic trip within 90s midwest emo, First Day Back understands what made it stick in the first place. ‘Forward’ is a record that reckons with one’s fleeting memories, all accompanied by potent compositions and understated, yet introspective writing.

In a world where the permeating presence of isolation and loneliness keeps the vignettes of memories continuing to blur and unstitch, figuring out how to set somebody in forward motion is rather tantalizing. First Day Back explores these situations on ‘Forward’, revealing the emotions that come from ruminating within those memories. Fleeting yet clear descriptions of a broken family that has traumatized their children, repeating mundane everyday cycles that end up being listless and empty, and being in a foggy state of mind where the protagonist doesn’t clearly know who they are amidst a relationship that has lost its luster at the end. It is perhaps where escapism through the outside world feels rather like a relief. Noticing the small presences of animals and objects that show up, it won’t exactly solve those blurry emotions that the protagonist experiences, but it allows them to keep on walking back, see more of what the world can show them. To quote that last track, the world is not shy, after all.

This brand of observant and briefly introspective writing does complement First Day Back’s brand of emo, harking back to that 90s midwest emo where the diy recordings come off a lot more crisp, really bringing the instrumentation and the vocals a lot of attention. While it does come off as straightforwardly familiar in its sound and doesn’t exactly come with punchy hooks, there is no doubt that the band does deliver some potent emo cuts, especially with Maggie’s vocals that toe the line between magnetic shouts and moody singing. ‘Gone On’ and ‘Lines’ carry some post-hardcore guitar riffs that pull through with some heavy muscle; ‘Moving Out’ swirls with its tempestuous melodies; and ‘Paint’ and ‘Twelve Mile Train Tracks’ offer hints of violin through their dynamic structures, with the former’s minimal guitar strums and hushed singing swinging into the burly melodies, and the latter’s continuous melodic and emotional buildup bursting forth at the end.

With how much emo has evolved and mutated since the 90s, to hear a band like First Day Back put their ear to the ground and find resonance with that era of emo does show up nicely on ‘Forward’—setting a good enough floor for their potent melodic instincts and lyrical tones to be shown, somehow overshadowing how the album can lack hooks or how that nostalgic factor becomes its double-edged sword. Either way, the band presents the fundamentals with solid results, serving as a gateway for those who want to hear more. Moving forward, more memories will be made, and they will be worth remembering.

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Favorite Tracks: ‘Moving Out’, ‘Gone On’, ‘Lines’, ‘Paint’, ‘Twelve Mile Train Tracks’

Least Favorite Track: ‘Upstairs (212)’