Pt. 1 by Mildred

For fans of Shearling, Julie Christmas, concept albums, and the rare prequel which actually meets or exceeds high expectations, Pt. 1 by Mildred adds depth to an already epic post hardcore love story by revealing its nihilistic underpinnings. The love we saw on 2022’s Pt. 2 realized its bleeding-heart intensity in a way comparable to early Deftones, assembling grunge-adjacent walls of noise capped off with relatable vocals, albeit with a fair mix of experimental songwriting and harmonic dissonance. However, Pt. 1 unquestionably digs deeper, turning over the underlying motivations which spawned Pt. 2’s signature desperation through its dark, depressive, esoteric lyrics and dramatic, sweeping post rock song structures. In this macabre image of our own world, each person participates in the universe as a sort of god, a being with limitless potential for power who nonetheless perpetually fails to yield this power ethically and purposefully. Such a world breeds apathy, inspires despair, encourages meaninglessness which demands us take our fellow demon by the hand and dive into this life with a radical leap of faith.