Album Review: Maps & Atlases’ Lightness Is Nothing New To Grief

After six years, Chicago indie rock band, Maps & Atlases return from their hiatus triumphant in Lightness Is Nothing New. The title of the record is strange because, frankly, I think it is. From heavy lyrics to baselines, a darker not is common in modern soundscapes. Yet, aiming for a good time without seeming superfluous is not easy, which is why Maps & Atlases have infused synth-rock into their math rock sound.

While you may assume that their incorporations of more electro-melodies or synth-waves is to adapt to its rise in music, actually, death was their inspiration. In 2012, just before the launch of the acclaimed Beware and Be Grateful, Dave Davison (guitar, vocals) lost his father, also his best friend. Grief took the form of inquiry: How can you reckon with the sudden death of someone whom, your entire life, was right beside you? How can you go on living in the unbridgeable gulf between the light and the dark, between the dark and the light?

The title of Maps and Atlases’ new album, Lightness Is Nothing New, serves to foreshadow an emotionally and musically dynamic collection of songs that contemplates the jolts of loss and longing that redefine how we see life when healing from bereavement. It is strange to say Lightness is Nothing New feels like a “happy album”. Maybe, because synths have an inherent zippiness and softness to them that tracks like, “The Fear”, “Fall Apart”, “War Dreams”, and “Learn How To Swim” feel airy and electric in quality; as if their rhythms are sparklers being swung in midair. Even Davison’s voice feels light as he plushes through verses of grief like one would a field of lilies.

You would think when someone is contemplating loss they would create the most sullen of melodies. Yet, as I have said before, you only contemplate loss when you know something you love is gone. Thus, why not use light to mourn the loss of it? It is beautiful and different approach to embrace death, something we all see dark, and try to dance and skip through it. From “Violet Threaded” to “4/25”, Maps & Atlases show that maybe the key to overcoming loss is not mourning it but celebrating the gain you had. For More Information On Map & Atlases The Lightness Is Nothing New Click Here.