Even though it’s less than two minutes, “Hold On Tight” concisely captures the essence of Sperry Alan’s crunchy alt-rock, inspired by artists such as Pearl Jam, Silversun Pickups, and other fans of alt-rock with melodic vocal lines and ample guitar distortion. Based in Truro, Nova Scotia, the alt-rock project is fronted by John Alan Sperry, who since 2004 has been churning out alt-rock with a driving concept, as is the case with their newly released third album, Before Our Time. Almost half of the tracks on the new album are less than two minutes, making grasping the overall narrative and flow an accessible journey.
At the focus of the album is Sperry’s semi-autobiographical take on struggling with thoughts of suicide, and overcoming them. The insightful “Give Me a Warning”, for example, provides a spring-y guitar-pop glimpse at morning-time dread before the piano-driven “As I Get Older” presents a loosely bleak glimpse at aging over the piano and an infectious synth squiggle. In addition to the infectious opening “Hold On Tight”, it’s efforts like these that make Before Our Time a worthwhile listen. Stream it in full below:
