Lincoln Releases their Debut Album “Everything Is Wrong”
In 2017, Lincoln released the song “Saint Bernard”, and in 2020, when so much of the world was facing the most difficult of days during the COVID-19 pandemic, the song took TikTok by storm with a completely unique sound and potent imagery. Today, the track has amassed over 86 million streams on Spotify, and audiences have been patiently waiting for a follow up from the Ohio-based indie rock artist.
Everything is Wrong is the newest album from Lincoln. Packed with themes of religion, aging, and grief, rich vocals, and intracately calculated instrumentation, this album is an impressive follow up to the success of “Saint Bernard”.
Lincoln starts the album off with the title track—“Everything is Wrong”. As the opening track, released last year as a single, it eases the listener into the rest of the album. Lincoln’s warm vocals sing wallowing, bitter lyrics with the accompaniment of a gently percussive lullaby which gradually builds with snares and cymbals. The percussion as the song progresses helps in creating a marching band-like sound that is very youthful in a way that inspires grief. “Oh Lord Two” features Pollyanna and confronts grief as a concept a little more directly along with some bargaining with god (the third stage of grief) in a deeply melancholic song. This track is quite existential, as is the entire project from Lincoln, and it feels very spiteful in tonality while being accepting of what can’t be changed (the fifth stage of grief).
A feature from Penelope Scott, “Baby Take My Acid”, offers a more uptempo tone shift. Scott, who also gained notoriety from TikTok, is known for her work in the world of electropop, although this track simply utilizes her very distinct, light, and dreamy voice to complement Lincoln’s, whose is very rich and grounding, and illustrates a very smart pairing similar to that of Defiance, Ohio’s duets and offers considerable levity to the album while remaining hard hitting.
The levity doesn’t last, though, and “Handsy” brings an intensity and emotional depth to the lyrics and cadence to the table. The track sounds very lonely and isolating–even borderline anxious, but it is accompanied by the next song, “New Music”, which it seamlessly flows into. The two tracks are a pairing, but they staunchly juxtapose each other in their sonic connotations. Where “Handsy” sounds isolated, “New Music” sounds sociable and fun, with a groovy, nearly beach rock sound (though, lyrically from a landlocked home).
Everything is Wrong offers a great demonstration of the diversity Lincoln’s music offers, and “Manager’s Special” exemplifies this quality. Though originating from Ohio and sharing deeply emotional lyrics, not many of Lincoln’s songs can be fully classified as “midwest emo”, but “Manager’s Special” certainly can. The vocal style Lincoln adopts for this track with acoustic guitar is wholly midwest emo but still in line with the complexity of music from Lincoln. Though sounding super stripped back, but it’s evident that nothing on this release is simple or underdone. There’s always a little something else going on.
For listeners who discovered Lincoln’s music from the undeniable powerhouse of “Saint Bernard” and want more of that sound beyond “Saint Bernard 2” or the remix of the original from Sam Means of The Format, “Shotgun” is the answer as a powerful and raw equivalent and equally beautiful song, albeit short. “10,000 Normal People” follows this with an even shorter song at only 40 seconds of a cryptic and broken sound, which adds fuel to the bonfire of melancholy in themes on this album. “From God” keeps the fire burning with religion as a theme once again. Lincoln expresses a unique ability and talent to create balance with energy across the entirety of Everything is Wrong, but consistently through individual songs as well. Each song is so impressive and coherent, it’s difficult to say that one stands out from the rest; however,”From God” just might be the biggest standout. Lincoln’s vocals are stunning, the lyrics are authentic, and the instrumentation is beyond phenomenal. It is such a great track.
“Life, The Universe, and Everything” follows this and reflects the entire album’s beauty beginning with a riff on the lyrics from “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard, popularized by Frank Sinatra. The track uses piano and is about as simple of a track as we can expect from Lincoln, which is to say not at all. Harmonizations and intense, self-acknowledging lyricism that point back to the themes of aging and religion create a space for Lincoln to create commentary and reflect on his own life, relationships, and music. “Everything” comes next—another track that exhibits the variety of Lincoln’s abilities while still staying true to a sound that is entirely his. It doesn’t feel like he’s trying to create a variety show of his abilities when every track is so evidently a Lincoln song, and this is done in a way that cultivates a unique sonic identity.
Everything is Wrong closes with “Oh Lord”—a song that feels like a completely perfect finale for this album. It is a potent and percussive track that matches the essence of Lincoln’s work so remarkably and closes out the album in a perfect way.
Lincoln’s Everything is Wrong cannot be recommended highly enough. This album is exceptional and distinctive in the beautiful instrumentation, captivating vocals and lyricism, and concentrated imagery brought on by a thematic collage of religion, aging, and grief.
If you heard Lincoln’s “Saint Bernard” in 2020 and have been waiting for more, do not miss this release. Or, if you’re a fan of Defiance, Ohio, The Format, Jeff Rosenstock, The Obsessives, or either of the featured artists on the release, you’d be remiss to glance over this album.
Be Sure to check out Lincoln Here!