The third studio long-player from the Connecticut-based indie/emo rock troupe,
Always Foreign finds
the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die nixing the mostly positive vibes of their two prior outings in favor of a deep dive into miseries both internal and external. Raw and occasionally apoplectic, but no less big-hearted than 2015's sleeve-bearing
Harmlessness,
Always Foreign wants to believe in the promise of utopia, but the caustic confluence of the 2016 election and the acrimonious departure of a former bandmate seem to have eaten through the band's thick skin. It's the latter ordeal that casts the biggest shadow, with multiple tracks dealing with the situation with alarming specificity; "Hilltopper" ("Can't seem to erase you/I threw out all the records you're on/I hope evil can see this, and you get what you deserve"), while reliably anthemic and melodic, is particularly savage. Thankfully, the band channels much of that ire into making compelling -- and often beautiful and vital-sounding -- music, which runs the gamut from galloping punk-pop ("The Future") to emo-kissed post-rock ("I'll Make Everything"). Distilling discomfort into something more palatable is never easy, but with a name like
the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, the band probably knew that going in. ~ James Christopher Monger
![Always Foreign [Black Vinyl]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0045778754212_p0_v3_s600x595.jpg)
![Always Foreign [Black Vinyl]](//prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0045778754212_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg)
![Always Foreign [Black Vinyl]](//img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.7.4)
![Always Foreign [Black Vinyl]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0045778754212_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg)
![Always Foreign [Black Vinyl]](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.7.4)
![Depression Cherry [LP]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0098787112214_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Depression Cherry [LP]")
![Laurel Hell [Clear Vinyl With Silver & Lavender Splatter] [B&N Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0617308056952_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Laurel Hell [Clear Vinyl With Silver & Lavender Splatter] [B&N Exclusive]")
![Notes On A Conditional Form [Clear Vinyl]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602577658525_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Notes On A Conditional Form [Clear Vinyl]")