Album Review: Bryce Vine Has Problems

Bryce Vine has problems like everyone else, and his music is starting to reflect it. On his new EP, Problems, he turns the dial down on his usual, party self, and quietly reflects on the “after-shows” of life: the moments when you leave the stage, the praising cheers fade out, and all the free beer in the world could not quench your thirst for something bigger. Accomplishments are great, but problems are not just born from one’s inability to reach something as much as one’s realization that achieving a goal or having a lit night does not make you happier.

Get Lit! Get Light! Those are the goals of life: to have fun and feel happy enough to have it again. “Life Goes On,” “Fire Side,” and “Strawberry Water” have Bryce Vine contemplating whether he can even achieve those goals, especially with the people around him and the choices he makes. Of course, we don’t always create off of what experience in life and doubting your surroundings or yourself does not mean you are living in chaos. It does mean that you feel like it though, which is the whole point of “Problems” and “Fall Apart.” Bryce is asking if he has placed himself in a position for better, and a lot people can relate to that.

Sonically, the album is still a BOP. It may not make people bust a move like some of his prior tracks, but it does make you listen and escape your surroundings. Moreover, Bryce Vine mellows his voice in a way that makes it more seductive yet pensive. He is trying to see whether life gets better, and that emotional twist to his usual song and style, makes him even more sonically charming. Bryce Vine’s Problems comes out August 21.