First of all, I'm going to go ahead and say I'm a fan of Nate Kitchens, I've seen him perform live a few times, and the energy he brings to the stage without being signed or paid most times is phenomenal. I think he has a good mind for creating music and writing lyrics that fit it's mood if nothing else, even back in the days when he was with Koi Pond in Hell and writing goofy rhymes like "get on the bed let's have a party; get on the bed and pass the Bacardi" it fit the feel and mood of the song, which is why I'm a little disappointed with this choice of songs. The first thing I should point out is that Nate as a singer is probably not the greatest singer when he's doing "optimistic" and "pop-ish" songs but he can portray very well the emotions he wants to bring across with more sincere and personal songs.

The first thing you'll notice when you start to listen to this is how inconsistent it is. It starts out with Funeral, a very low-key and minimal song without words, and it sets the mood very nicely. The only problem is the song right after it throws that mood right out the window like a child with A.D.D. Although the transition is nice between Funeral and 5 Missed Calls, 5 Missed calls starts up with a somewhat upbeat intro, and the song itself is a little weird. The only way I can think to describe it is Nate got a hold of an emo teenager's personal journal and started reading it while the song was playing. A-Bah-Ha is about the same, with it seeming like Nate didn't even give a second though about the song ("What's this song about?" "Nothing, absolutely nothing") The lyrics for A-Bah-Ha are nonsensical and mostly gibberish, if you read them, it almost seems like he's making love to himself on a playground, which is weird. The last song before a major shift is "Mundane" which, despite it's name isn't that mundane, it's like "5 Missed Calls", outlining random complaints to a tune that's mostly upbeat and well-made. After "Mundane" we get a major shift with "Simple Life" which is a very, extremely well made song. If you're lucky enough to see Apsis Lappet live, you know that Simple Life is part of a 5-part rock opera about a college student losing all of his friends, his career and having to move home and assimilate to his new cycle of life, which begs the question, where are the other 3 parts ("Closure" was part 5 and "Simple Life" was part 2 if you're interested) while it's out of order a little bit, it still is very good and if it had come right after "Funeral" it would've kept the mood perfectly. "Bubble Wrap" for the most part is, annoying, which is both good and bad. You'll find yourself singing along, and it's probably one of the most optimistic and heartfelt songs I've heard by Apsis Lappet, with the final verse sounding like a desperate plea to make someone extremely depressed, and it carries over to the other perspective (in a way) for "Alco Tea". "Alco Tea" is a song of paranoia, depression and fighting with addiction. It's very minimalist with only a few instruments, but it keeps the whole mood alive from the past few songs. Then we have "Closure" which is the only song Nate doesn't provide the main vocals for. I heard him sing the vocals live, and it's very different when he sings the vocals and when this vocalist sings them. It's not bad, in fact both versions are good, just different. When Nate performed it, it was a very sad portrayal, with bursts of energy every here and there mixed in with a low-key, almost mono-tone speaking of the lyrics. This version, on the other hand, has more consistent and "jazzy" vocals, and it doesn't take away from the other version in my opinion. Then we have the outro, in a way, "Journey to the Afterlife" which is actually "Journey to the Afterlife" and a hidden track. "Journey to the Afterlife" is alright, but it's a little repetitive and also feels out of place coming after "Closure" which seems to sum up the end perfectly. HOWEVER, the hidden song is quite possibly the best song on the album. Coming in at 4:51 comes a very emotional and diverse song without having any actual lyrics. The choir is corny and you can tell that it was made on a keyboard, but the song itself is the best produced on the album, having multiple parts to it, and changing from one to the other seamless. The amount of instrumentation, real or not, is impressive and stands out completely. I had to listen to it multiple times because with each new part I kept forgetting what was before it. The way the chords are played, and mixed gives a very somber and emotional feeling.

All and all, it's a decent album, but inconsistent. "5 Missed Calls", "A-Bah-Ha", and "Mundane" should've been omitted in my opinion. If you're just going to listen to this all the way through, you'll probably give up by "A-Bah-Ha" but the songs after the first 4 more than make up for the mixed mood of them. I'd say give it a listen, and just skip over the first 4 songs.

I do have a question though, since "Simple Life" and "Closure" are on this album, where are the other 3 parts? I would've really liked to see a full release of them, even a live recording whenever Nate Kitchens decides to come out of his cave and play again. Maybe he just wasn't satisfied with the actual recordings at the end of the day, I don't know, but I know I, along with a lot of the people around me were literally in tears when he performed "Hidden" a song about being abused. It was a realistic portrayal of abuse and not something along the lines of "oh, you abused me, I'm going to become stronger". Maybe in the next release it'll finally be released, until then the album is 2/3 solid.

Single Track ratings:
Funeral 8/10
5 Missed Calls 5/10
A-Bah-Ha 3/10
Mundane 4/10
Simple Life 9/10
Bubble Wrap 8/10
Alco Tea 9/10
Closure 9/10
Journey to the Afterlife 7/10
Hidden Track 10/10

Total Average Rating: 72/100 (C-)