Review: Framing Hanley- Envy
April 17, 2020
What better time than 2020 for a band like Framing Hanley to come out of retirement and make a comeback? They’ve done exactly that with Envy,
their fourth record overall and first since 2014’s farewell album- The Sum of Who We Are.
Kenneth Nixon and company have always paid equal attention to lyrics and themes as they do the music and that’s exactly what happens with Envy and if you’re a lyrically-driven fan, this is the record for you.
From the very onset of the haunting piano intro with “Say You Never,” it’s clear the band have a lot to say and this is going to be a very personal experience.
The ballads on this record are at some of the best the band has ever written. “Joke’s On Us” will give you absolute chills and is probably one of the best ballads of all time. It’s also very, very relatable and we’ve all had that relationship.
Then there’s “Carousel,” which is just as strong comes quickly and the soft side of Framing Hanley is the strongest aspect of Envy. “Puzzle Pieces,” “Throwing Knives” and closer “Baggage Claim” are all strong contenders with “Joke’s On Us” for best album track.
The heavy material stands strong too- “Bubbles,” “Misery” and “Forgiveness is An Art” stand right up with classics like “Criminal” and other back-catalogue songs but flow perfectly with the alternative side- “The Way Down” and “Counterfeit” bring a strong diversity to Envy.
In the end, Envy is the perfect comeback record for Framing Hanley. With bands like Asking Alexandria and Bring Me The Horizon going in an alternative route with less emphasis on hard rock or metal, Framing Hanley have captured the perfect balance between rock and alternative.
Rating: 9/10
-Reggie Edwards