New York alternative outfit Ivy League explore love and all of its pitfalls and challenges on their engrossing new album American Love
Armed with a rousing indie rock sound that feels both anthemic and deeply thoughtful with resonating effect, New York’s Ivy League are a band that have found a really important place in people’s lives over the last few years, creating tracks that resonate on a deeper level with listeners and delve into themes that are cathartic and powerful through their work. Their new album American Love is a potent exploration of trauma and devastation and the ways that these things define us, an album ten years in the making that has shaped itself over time.
Following an atmospheric introduction in the form of ‘Enouement’, the album really kicks into gear on the title track ‘American Love’, a track with an instantly memorable bass riff and driving percussion that feels as dynamic and exciting as anything you’re likely to hear anytime soon. The track serves as an outcry for love and the want for physical touch from somebody that you desire, and the punchy and forward-thinking indie rock soundscape has a sense of fun and creativity that kind of echoes the kinds of hooks from Paramore’s After Laughter, albeit with a fuzzier and sharper edge.
Things take a moodier turn on ‘We Will Win’, with sirens setting the scene for a track that has a murkier undertone to match its catchy nature. The guitars here feel restless and packed full of dynamism, with the stylistic shifts and twists and turns feeling exciting and unpredictable as it progresses, as the lyrics delve into promises that could have been, making for a unique listening experience that feels as uniquely optimistic as it is moody.
‘Song 4’ is an explosion of energy and life that ups the stakes and brings a sense of urgency that barely gives you chance to catch your breath. The lyrics express some more regretful and sombre feelings but the restless nature of the instrumentation and its ever-evolving nature takes centre stage here and dominates proceedings and provides a full on aural assault.
Infectious riffs are something of a theme on this album throughout, and ‘Butterflies and Sugar Skulls’ is another track that highlights the band’s mastery in that field, revisiting the themes of hardship in life and love that so often characterise the album as a whole. There are a lot of themes that surround themes like suffering for what you want or what you love, and the band have said that the practice of kintsugi, the Japanese practice of gluing broken pottery with gold, was a big inspiration for the album as a whole, with emphasis on the idea of healing and fixing things.
‘Where You End and I Begin’ is a cathartic moment of respite on the album that for me kind of had shades of ‘Closer’ from Amigo the Devil’s 2024 album Yours Until the War is Over, with the spoken moments upping the stakes and intensity of some gorgeous instrumental moments that feel as rousing are they are captivating.
The thoughtful ‘Champagne Supernova’ feels like one of the album’s most organic and charming love songs, celebrating a love that seems to have overcome all of the obstacles and difficulties expressed earlier on in the album. The lyrics feel like they come from a powerful and nice place throughout the track and make for some really nice moments that listeners will find reassuring and alluring, especially considering the journey that we have been on so far. Around halfway through the track delves into another one of these gorgeous instrumental moments that pop up from time to time throughout the album, and it makes for a multi-faceted and dynamic listening experience that is packed full of charm and nuance throughout.
The album closes with the aptly titled ‘Its Time’, a track that begins with with wonderfully engrossing acoustic section as the reckoning and “do or die” nature of the relationship is aimed to be resolved. This track provides the album with its more vulnerable and emotional moments for sure, almost like a dramatic final stand as the relationship seems to be coming to an end. As the acoustic guitars give way to a powerful, emotionally charged soundscape, the emotion and intensity just seems to be magnified and amplified by the noise, with the repeated refrain of “everything is alright” leaving a lasting impression on you as a listener, and whether it is true or not seems to be up for interpretation.
The album is a really powerful exploration of love and adjacent themes from the band, and the ways that it can crack and fracture as we decide whether to keep fixing it or eventually just leave it as it is. There are some really rousing and explosive moments here and some introspective and emotional ones, with many tracks encompassing all of those things, and these things and the nuance and multi-faceted nature of the tracks is what ensures that they will stick with you for long after your listen.
