Guiding Light - Fear On My Own Time [LP]

The instrumental branch of Guiding Light had already prepared their first batch of songs when they approached Elise Cook to sing, who, miraculously, had lyrics ready to go. That moment of kismet led to their first EP, a frenzied eleven minutes and fifty seconds that defined their post-punk sound for the culturally curious. Now Cook's melodies are born in the same room as the precise jangle of John Morales' guitar, the sharp-toothed bass of Rachel Kirk, and the pounding intensity of Charles Powell on the drums. The result is Fear On My Own Time, a new album by a band who knows what they're good at and keep getting better. It's hard to tell that recording was split into two sessions, six months apart, because you can sense urgency in the work. As anger propels action, energy becomes the reaction. The narrative of Fear On My Own Time expands in scope as reflections on a breakup lead to revelations on human connection. Criticism of the self draws from ego, confusion, and unabashed honesty, but a much larger issue is the root of these problems. The final pair of songs culminate into a rallying cry against Facism and how after being beaten down, our inability to be vulnerable drives us apart. You don't need to speak in Guiding Light's customary German tongue to understand this, in fact, the record includes their first English-translated lyrics: "In the cage - only together we find the key." If we all danced to Guiding Light, the world would be a better place.By Sydney Salk