TYLER MCANINCH "THE GLUE THAT HELD US TOGETHER" REVIEW
Review by: Lucas Kurmis, Writer @KurmisTheFrog
Edited by: Eric Martin, Writer/Editor @eamartin95
Album art for The Glue That Held Us Together.
The Glue That Held Us Together is quite the emotional journey. This album includes content such as cancer, addiction, disability, mental illness, grief and loss, along with hope, support, and recovery. If any of those topics are a trigger, they are in the album, and they will likely be discussed. But this album approaches these topics fully, intimately, and ultimately with some hope.
This album follows the death of Tyler’s mother, the death of Tyler’s brother, his own experience with cerebral palsy, a brain injury, and depression, and songs are informed by his experiences. In fact, Tyler has a bit of background prose about each song and what they are about. You can find these written pieces on the physical copies of the albums, and some of the writing may very well put you to tears on the weight of the events that these songs are about. But tied with that are messages of hope. The album is called The Glue That Held Us Together, and it is at least as much about what’s held together as it is about what feels broken.
With grief and loss being important to the album, there are some very sad moments on the album. “The Yellow Finch” is probably the saddest. This song is all about the loss of Tyler’s mother and her battle with cancer. Tyler grew up hearing his mom singing in the morning and loving finches. Knowing about that, the lyrics “This is the last song I think I’ll ever sing” hit very hard. But within that saddest song is also the hope that she lives on through the finches by Tyler’s house. “Lilacs” is a similarly haunting ode to his brother lost to an overdose. “Please” is a very sad picture of an alcoholic who pushes everyone away. There are plenty of gut-wrenching lyrics throughout the album. Tyler doesn’t hold anything back, and he’s braver for it. He’s able to share some of his darkest moments and his recovery.
But the album isn’t all dark. It isn’t all one thing at all. “Ring the Bell” celebrates love even at the end of the world. “Lilacs” and “Drowning in the Dirt” mourn the loss of how things used to be among the family and among siblings, but there is some shine in the memories of what used to be like the love is always there, even if it feels distorted by things that have happened since. And of course “The Glue That Held Us Together,” the title track, is a beautiful ending.
The album ends on the most optimistic moment. “I’m getting back on my feet again/It was worth the wait but now the wait is over.” That lyric is dubbed over “Take my advice/Stay right here and live your life/There is nothing else that matters/And tethered is someone here who loves you.” That latter is a lyric from A Sunken Ship Irony, led by Josh Wirtenan who is close to Tyler. The blending of a familiar line of a friend’s song into Tyler’s own song feels like a celebration of Tyler’s support circle, right down to sharing a chorus to end the album on. It’s a wonderful closer to a wonderful album.
Tyler worked together on the production for this album with Matt Patrick, and it really feels like a level above a lot of new and undiscovered artists. Not that the lo-fi aesthetic is bad, but this album just feels developed in a surprising and encapsulating way. While this is a very centrally folk and guitar-led project, we have drums, synth, multiple vocal harmonies, multiple tracks of different guitar lines, maybe even a steel guitar. There’s even a bit of noise during “The Yellow Finch,” reflecting the most harrowing emotional lyrics in the album. All of these production elements blend together and create a grand, vibrant, and holistic atmosphere that fits the several moods and subjects in the album.
Altogether, this album is brimming with emotion. Lyrics are brave, bold, haunting, and personal. Tyler isn’t afraid to look away from any subject. In fact, Tyler seems to need to get these songs out. And accompanied by some clean and captivating production, these songs seem to be yearning to be heard.
Listen to The Glue That Held Us Together on Bandcamp
