SHUSH "I COULD HAVE IMAGINED ANYTHING" REVIEW
Review by: Billy Webb, Writer @liam.percy_esquire
Edited by: Eric Martin, Writer/Editor @eamartin95
Album art for I Could Have Imagined Anything.
I Could Have Imagined Anything by Shush is the latest release from the highly prolific Kitchen Knife Blood Pact record label based in Minneapolis.
Undeniable Chemistry
Shush have arrived onto the Twin Cities music scene with one of the most buzz-worthy local releases of 2021. This album has a very unique vibe that’s haunting and at times dark but not spooky. It’s visceral and cathartic. It’s part indie rock, melodic punk, with tones of sludge that stay sweet.
The track order feels very cohesive. It takes the listener on a satisfying ride of musical ups and downs, smoothly moving between the drawn-out vocal harmony, hard-hitting guitar riffs, smooth and refined lead guitar, and a solidly effective rhythm section.
Lyrically the album takes on anxiety, life, overthinking, reflection, physical illness, and deep introspection towards relationships. The vocals are bewitchingly stretched by primary vocalist Natalie Dusek with a sense of urgency in all the right places. There is strong and undeniable vocal chemistry between Dusek and backing vocalist Colleen Cowie throughout the album.
Melancholic Peaks and Valleys
The album begins with a melancholic feel on the catchy indie rock sound of “Staring Contests”. Led by driving crisp guitar and Dusek’s bending vocals, the melody leaning into “having staring contests” creates one of the more memorable moments of the album and a singalong-worthy standout.
The transition into “You Make My Stomach Hurt” is seamless, and it sounds as if it could be the second half of the same song. The guitar stays driving for the first minute, right until its heavy ascension into a driving and frenzied chorus, giving the first punk-ish feel of the album. The mood drops back down only to be built back up for peak crescendo into a cathartic howling vocal melody.
The album then takes its most upbeat turn on them with “Unclench Your Jaw” starting out with Colleen Cowie’s simplistic yet very effective descending bassline playing into a jangly rhythm guitar riff with a very satisfying bending of the lead guitars notes. Colleen takes over lead vocals for the next 2 tracks with a deeper register than Dusek, but it feels like a very natural transition between the 2 singers. The end of the song repeats a building vocal harmonization of “the world is bigger than me and my problems” that highlights the lyrical introspective awareness and lucidity.
The darker haunting side begins to emerge on “Going Places”. This track merges the vocal stylings of Dolores O’Riorden of The Cranberries and the musical feel of Guided by Voices. Cowie singing of the chorus “I miss going places and doing things / I miss things I would take for granted” is downright beautiful. The jumbled lo-fi indie riff on the back end of the chorus is an eclectic mashup that highlights the band’s knack for songwriting.
Sweet Sludge
The fifth track, “Indigo Attachment,” feels like the natural start to the 2nd half of a very cohesive LP. It begins with a very driving ascending lead guitar riff and heavily distorted “sludge” rhythm. Dusek sings “all I can do is walk around making mistakes” as the lyrics play back and forth with a 3-note guitar lead. The vocals then turn back to the howling - almost primal - vocal scream, matched on the back end by Cowie. Drummer Grace Miller starts out the sixth track, “The Worst,” with a driving beat that immediately turns into a dark goth-punk guitar lead line. The guitar work on this song is one of the highlights of the album musically with a progression that builds you up, drives forward, pulls back down only to take you right back up to where you started. The tempo change leading into Dusek singing “Tell me your worst” is engaging to the ear.
Third Act
The start of “Mosquito” starts with clashing rhythm guitars that sound almost enjoyabl dissonant. It’s the epitome of the “sweet sludge” sound that transitions into another super-solid vocal melody when Dusek sings “my mosquito bites itch, I can’t satisfy them, there’s too many to count, too many to count.” It’s a beautiful melody that interplays perfectly with the rest of the song.
The final track with vocals, “School Nurse,” starts out with a punching repeating rhythm that quickly transitions into an indie punk chorus. The faster, more upbeat tempo shows the group’s dynamic ability across a variety of sub-genres.
The album ends with a musical outro, “Way Out Here,” with dueling guitars playing off each other until building their way up into a final riff that sounds like it could be the outro to the fifth track, “Indigo Attachment,” but also feels like a very natural way to end the album. It ends abruptly yet triumphantly.
Conclusion
This is a debut that is worthy of praise and attention. Shush are tapping into a haunting indie-sludge/punk sound that feels very fresh but also familiar. They take a musical gamble drawing out so many vocal phrasings that not many could pull off, but it works here. In a world of singles, this is an album that is best appreciated in its entirety, and it rewards the listener upon repeat visits.
Listen to I Could Have Imagined Anything on Bandcamp
