Album Review: Columbus ‘Spring Forever’

Brisbane trio Columbus have been winning hearts across the country since the release of their breakthrough EP ‘Home Remedy’ last year. ‘Home Remedy’ was one of my personal favourite Aussie releases from 2015 and it’s safe to say I’ve been pretty hyped for the band’s debut full-length album ‘Spring Forever’ since it was announced.

The 12-track album opens with Summer Dress, a different track to what I was expecting from the first song. The song begins with vocalist/guitarist Alex Moses singing softly “If you’re going to make me cry in this weather/at least wear your summer dress like you used to”, before the rest of the band comes in and the vocals become emotive and aggressive.

Second song Daffodil is the band’s latest single. An upbeat track that speaks of self-doubt and ending relationships, a theme prevalent throughout the album. The lyrics are raw and honest with the bridge being particularly hard-hitting, “please let me go, you’d be better without me”. The song also sees Moses playing with echo on his voice and the inclusion of a guitar solo, something rarely done by the band.

“The acoustic track is heartfelt, with lyrics that are just as hard-hitting as the full-band tracks…”

Raindrop is another track filled with emotion, overdriven guitar, and busy drums which propel it forward. Lyrically, themes of the weather and seasons are continued, with the chorus refrain “I’ll be the very first raindrop to land/ but after me it’ll all come pouring down”. In my opinion, the honesty and amount of self-reflection present in the lyrics is what really makes this band stand out above the rest. The bridge line “how do I know if I really love her?” is super poignant and lovely.

Moses really explores the dynamics of his voice on this album, and Learn To Swim is no exception. The instrumental dynamics stand out on this track, culminating in a beautiful crescendo for the final chorus which really shows the band’s progression. Say What You Want has one of the catchiest choruses on the album, with the refrain “Say what you want me to be/‘cause I’m just fine” easily becoming stuck in my head long after I’d finished listening to it.

Nervous Wreck sees the return of softer vocals. The acoustic track is heartfelt, with lyrics that are just as hard-hitting as the full-band tracks, “If you could make your bed and cover up the imprint of his spine”. The song is about feeling like you’re undeserving, and the lyrics do a great job of conveying this with a raw honesty. “It’s about trying to overcome low self-esteem and the negative voices in your head,” says Moses.

“Definitely give this album a listen if you enjoy honest, self-reflective lyrics and infectious rock!”

Hopeless is a one-minute song that I wanted to be longer! There are some really cool musical ideas in there that I feel could have been expanded upon if the song were continued past the one minute mark. Broken Glass has a really pretty melody line which is a little bit reminiscent of more modern blink-182. There’s an ample amount of kick drum which helps to drive the song along and a bridge which feels like a pit stop in the middle of the otherwise heavy, densely-layered track.

Released earlier this year as the first single from the band since ‘Home Remedy’, Replace Me once again continues the seasonal references of the album. The line “one day you’ll cut all your dead flowers/I’ll wither now/before I get older” was one I found particularly nice and powerful. Stay is probably the most ‘punk’ song on the album, reminding me of bands like Rise Against. The chorus refrain “If home is where the heart is/I’m so far away” is like a punk anthem, waiting to be chanted in sweaty rooms.

Absent allows a lot of musical space for the bass and drums to shine through, and they do! “Sometimes I think I’m better off alone/I hate myself and all my skin and bones” builds up each time it’s sung, with the band demonstrating how well they can play with dynamics and crafting a steadily building track.

Closing song and title-track Spring Forever ties off the album nicely, once again showing the honesty the band portrays in their lyrics. Infusing many seasonal metaphors, the refrain which closes the album sums up the feeling of the entire release, “We fell apart as the leaves turned red/Words you said in Autumn can still hurt me in the Summer/We were never gonna stay together/It can’t be Spring forever.”

With beautifully crafted lyrics, catchy melody lines, and dynamic instrumentation, Columbus show there’s more to punk music than most people assume. Definitely give this album a listen if you enjoy honest, self-reflective lyrics and infectious rock!

Read our interview with Alex Moses from Columbus HERE

Columbus ‘Spring Forever’ National Tour

FRI 21 OCT
Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
SAT 22 OCT
Prince of Wales, Bunbury
THU 3 NOV
Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
SAT 5 NOV
The Workers Club, Melbourne
THU 10 NOV
Rad Bar (Yours & Owls), Wollongong (All Ages)
FRI 11 NOV
Newtown Social Club, Sydney
SAT 12 NOV
The Foundry, Brisbane
SUN 13 NOV
The Foundry, Brisbane (All Ages)

Get Tickets HERE