Knuckle Sandwich - The Burdens (Album Review)

West Michigan is seeing a growth in the music scene since Covid stunted everyone’s growth. And no, it’s not just the “DeVos/Acrisure Amphitheater to Stick It to Fred Meijer’s Garden,” it’s artists being able to commune with each other and their fellow music lovers again. It’s educators getting to inspire new creatives that appreciate art for its own sake, not for how well it looks on a resume for a job at a company that has probably already made it a policy to underpay gig economy workers. It’s finding that final member to the band you’ve been thinking about for the couple of years you’ve been inside demoing tunes and trying to cobble together limited, outdoor backyard concert experiences so you and your friends can feel something other than despair.

In North Muskegon, one compliment to this feeling of positive growth is an alternative rock trio called The Burdens, who blend 60’s pop and 90’s grunge into a wonderful pairing of uplifting transparency honed to a fine edge through gritty, punk aesthetics to carve through the fog of modernity and remind you your heart is still beating. Knuckle Sandwich, the group’s sophomore album, makes a space for everybody to strip their souls bare and ugly cry during a basement show. In this rebellious energy accented by distorted riffs with thunderous bass and drums are anchor points to latch onto: a chorus that uplifts the mood, an anthem to embody the whole tune, a moment of levity to recharge your moshing batteries.

From the jump, listeners are invited to join in The Burdens as a community beyond their music, with the hook “if you feel like a burden, welcome to the club!” on the song “Dumb For You // Bear Your Burdens.” This song is a great introduction to the album, the band, and the foundational sounds you’ll enjoy from the trio. Moving into “Where You Belong” reinforces this invitation, offering the encouragement to make the difficult choices that are needed to find where you are accepted. The energy keeps driving with “Lucky Square,” featuring verses driving by a slowly building dance beat into explosive choruses, all juxtaposing lyricism about the addiction. “Hall of Meat” is a 90 mph autobahn trip into a brick wall with reggae-style portion to emphasize how they have to laugh through the pain life throws your way, scars and all. “Junkie” reiterates the sinister hooks addiction can have with a gritty, stoner/doom metal riff that sinks you deep into the mood of the message. “True Colors” is a slower build that takes the energy from grunge and arches it upward towards a catchier pop hook, all geared lyrically towards recognizing the true colors beneath the masks we all hide behind sometimes. To cap off the release, “Speakeasy” is definitely their most pop-forward offering, and yet it concludes a great emotional journey and leaves you feeling energized.

Sometimes art takes itself too seriously and the message gets buried in institutions or locked up in academia for only the “privileged few” to comprehend, and The Burdens remind you with Knuckle Sandwich that art should come in many forms AND convey a message charged by the passions that come from bearing your soul and trying to help those with what you produce. Louis Cole can juxtapose goofy, nonsensical lyricism in his verses because they paint a mental trail to the emotional punchlines of these bits that he’ll deliver on the next track or the chorus hook or a shift from breakbeat grooves to soaring, symphonic scoring that is like sonic therapy. Dillinger Escape Plan could obfuscate their musical language in dense harmonies and rhythmic patterns, and yet their raw energy and full transparency on stage allows their music to emotionally resonate and connect with people in spite of the chaos within their music. The Burdens can quite literally bear their burdens because from the jump they have been loud and proud about what their group represents, and this album feels like such a great step forward for this group, especially with added engineering talents of Ryan Jamgotch (Electric Moon Studios).

These guys radiate the energy that has always endeared me to Muskegon - open, honest, fully expressing who they are and screaming it loud for the world to join in. They are scrappy survivors and ready to fight for their convictions while letting you stay their couch on a moment’s notice (they agreed, stay on their couch!). The description of this record on their Bandcamp page says it all: “A hit in the face with words to pick you up off the ground that pulls us in everyday. A reminder to keep pushing through the darkness with the light hidden in plain sight.”

Album Credits:
Evan Hooper: Vocalist/Lyricist/Guitarist
Caleb Henry: Percussionist
Corey McClary: Bassist

Ryan Jamgotch: Engineer
Recorded at Electric Moon Studios
Album Artwork by Siera Zamarròn

Support The Burdens!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Burdensmi/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burdens.mi/
Bandcamp: https://theburdensmi.bandcamp.com/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-burdens/1687365077
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1e8GTlufOSzLqHLr9vNt5K?si=-f17ue0nTmiSe4mvf9n21w
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Burdensmi

Click the album image to listen to/buy the record!