The album Past Lives by the new band L.S. Dunes has been one of my most anticipated albums for 2022. This may be because this band consists of members from groups that I am a fan of, such as My Chemical Romance, Circa Survive, and Thursday, and I have been waiting for this album to release ever since they started teasing it on their Twitter. Nonetheless, I have listened to the album multiple times since it dropped, and am here to share my thoughts with you all!
2022
Before I even review any of the songs on this album, I just wanted to make it clear how much I love Anthony Green’s vocals in this entire album. His vocals are so emotional, especially in this song, and I admire his voice control. Out of the three signals they released before releasing this album (“Permanent Rebellion,” “2022,” and “BombSquad”), I listen to this one the least, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like it. I just don’t find myself listening to it often. However, while I was listening to it more to gather my thoughts, I definitely think I should spend more time listening to it. The song itself is very emotional, as it is about learning how to get through stuff just to survive. My favorite parts of the song would have to be the bridge and the outro. I love how the guitars sound during both of these parts. During the bridge, everything slows down, and during the outro, both the guitars and the drums speed up. Anthony’s vocals really enhance this entire song, and again, I love his vocals. His vocals scratch an itch in my head if that makes sense. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 7/10.
Antibodies
Again, I just love the guitars in this song, especially during the chorus and at the beginning of the song. They just sound so heavy, and if I became better at the guitar, I would definitely try to learn one of the guitar parts of this song. I also love Anthony’s vocals in this song, particularly during the chorus where he screams while singing. Out of 10, I would rate this song an 8/10.
Grey Veins
I think this song is one of my favorites of the entire album. The lyrics in this song really stuck out to me, and again, the instrumentals are just so good. I have to mention the drums in the song because they just sound amazing (I think they sound the best in the pre-chorus and bridge), especially alongside the guitars. I also love the guitar solo at the end of the song. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
Like Forever
I really enjoy how this song starts off with Anthony’s screaming vocals. I feel like this song could potentially be one of my favorites if I listened to it more. I also absolutely love the outro of this song, since I feel like the guitars, drums, and Anthony’s vocals all mesh together so well. Out of 10, I would rate this song an 8/10.
Blender
I adore listening to the guitar solo/riff at the beginning of this song. I like this song quite a bit, but I tend to prefer faster-paced songs over slower-paced songs. However, it still is a pretty good song, and I like how the two guitars play together after the second chorus finishes up. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 7/10.
Past Lives
Whenever I listen to the beginning of this song, I always find myself finger-drumming the drum part. I also love how the guitars sound in verse 1 and verse 2. Alongside that, the guitars sound great during the bridge (and the chorus, too). I feel like this would be a fun song to play on the guitar! I really like the pedal effect that they use on the guitars in this song. Again, this song also has the potential to become one of my favorites on the album. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
It takes time
I don’t listen to this song as much as I wished I did. I feel like this is a more slow-paced song on the record. I really like how one of the guitars uses a certain pedal effect to sound distorted in a way. Anthony’s vocals sound great like usual. While I do like this song to a certain extent, I feel like I haven’t entirely warmed up to it yet. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 6.5/10.
Bombsquad
I really feel like I barely listen to the second half of this album except for “Grifter” and “Permanent Rebellion.” Out of the three singles that were released before this album dropped, I listen to this song occasionally compared to the other two. I like how both the guitars and bass sound in this song, and this song reminds me a little bit of “Grey Veins” for some reason. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 7/10.
Grifter
When this record first came out in November, I found myself listening to this song a lot in particular. This may also be one of my favorite songs just because they mention violins in the lyrics… but I swear that’s not the only reason why I like this song so much! I enjoy the guitar and bass lines at the beginning of the song a lot, and all the instruments mesh so well together in this song. The guitar solo is also just so beautiful at the end as it slowly fades out. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
Permanent Rebellion
Out of the three singles that were released before the album (“2022,” “Bombsquad,” and “Permanent Rebellion), I listen to this one the most. I absolutely adore Anthony’s screaming vocals during the chorus. Like I said before, they really scratch an itch in my brain. I really like how both guitars sound in the beginning, and the crescendo of the drums is one of my favorite parts. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 10/10.
Sleep Cult
This is another song in this album that I don’t listen to much, but I should definitely listen to it more. Even though I do tend to prefer faster-paced songs, this is one of the slower-paced songs on the album that I really enjoy. I like the guitar riff at the beginning of the song, and I find myself really wanting to learn how to play that part on the guitar. Out of 10, I would rate this song a 9/10.
Overall, I really enjoyed listening to Past Lives by L.S. Dunes, and even though I wasn’t too big of a fan of their slower-paced songs, I still found myself appreciating certain aspects of them. I would recommend this album and band to anyone who is a fan of punk and post-hardcore music, and I’m excited to see if this band releases any more music in the future.