ALBUM REVIEW: The Plot in You are fearless on new album, ‘Dispose’

“This transition continues flawlessly on Dispose, yet fans won’t lose some of the characteristics that they love, like vocalist Landon Tewers’ effortless transitions between singing and screaming, and lyrics that can punch you right in the gut.”

It may be hard to believe, but despite having released three albums, Ohio rock band The Plot in You, is still an up-and-comer in the music scene as they prepare for their fourth release, Dispose, out Feb. 16, 2018.

Having parted ways with Chris “Fronzilla” Fronzak’s Stay Sick Recordings in 2016, The Plot in You promptly signed with Fearless Records and dropped “FEEL NOTHING”, as their first single with the label.

A short time later it was revealed that the four-piece’s new record would be titled Dispose, and accompanying the announcement was second single, “NOT JUST BREATHING”.

The Plot in You have typically been described as a metalcore act throughout their career, but started to deviate from this genre with their last record Happiness in Self Destruction, which began mixing a more polished punk rock sound with some nuances of nu-metal.

This transition continues flawlessly on Dispose, yet fans won’t lose some of the characteristics that they love, like vocalist Landon Tewers’ effortless transitions between singing and screaming, and lyrics that can punch you right in the gut.

The album is short, with 10 tracks, consisting of two interludes. This allows the record to get its point across, and The Plot In You are successful with composing the track listing to build up to the highlight of Dispose, the penultimate track “THE SOUND”.

Dispose starts with an interlude that blends right into “NOT JUST BREATHING”, and with lyrics like “I’m not afraid to speak my mind and throw this life away, I’ve been enslaved, and years of wasting time made me this way”, confirms my suspicions that this album was going to be a break-up album.

“ONE LAST TIME” may be one of the best tracks on the entire record. The song starts with an accompaniment of strings and a blast of guitar, bass and drums that leads into a shift of Tewers singing and screaming about how “he never tried”. “ONE LAST TIME” is the closest song on Dispose that could probably also be on Happiness in Self Destruction, it is the prototypical The Plot In You song, and gives the quality you’d expect from the band.

Momentum extends into “I ALWAYS WANTED TO LEAVE”, a ballad that finds Tewers hit a high range in his voice that I don’t think I’ve ever heard from the vocalist. That being said, the change in singing style is very welcomed with what comes off as perhaps the second most emotion-fueled song. The track also features a spoken word interval gives the deep cut an eerie feeling.

After “FEEL NOTHING” and the second interlude, the deceiving “THE ONE YOU LOVED” hits hard with a blend of serenading verses and a fast-paced and catchy chorus. This song could easily be found on rock radio without anyone batting an eye. “THE ONE YOU LOVED” fully highlights the change that The Plot In You was looking for with this record and I wouldn’t be surprised if their future music follows in the steps of this track.

“THE SOUND” is what Dispose leads up to. The theme of heartbreak, the portrayal of the feeling one finds after that heartbreak, and the thoughts that rush through your head is perfectly worded in these verses and the chorus. On first listen, it made me delve deeply into lyrics, which hit me with that gut punch I mentioned earlier.

With the lyrics, “There was a time when I brought light to your eyes, even the worst of days could not keep us apart”, let you know right away where the song is going, and the hook leaves you envisioning Tewers frozen in a retrospect of his experiences. The verses outline his feelings as they get to the point of separation.

This song will truly stop you in your tracks if you have been through that kind of moment.

I truly wish that this album would have finished with “THE SOUND”. You’re on a very entertaining and enjoyable ride that Tewer’s lyrics on Dispose brings you through, and “THE SOUND” would have been the perfect ending point for this story.

Instead, the final track on Dispose is “DISPOSABLE FIX”.

If the record was looking to accomplish something sonically and lyrically in maturation and storytelling, this song easily regresses the album, and I really wish it weren’t included here.

The theme of this song is completely different than the rest of the album, with lyrics in the chorus like “Fucked way too many petty bitches, ain’t got time for this shit. Those peasant pussies probably took it but you’ll take what you get.”

Yeah, I don’t know where that even came from. Dispose is as heartfelt of an album that I have heard in a very long time. The only thing that “DISPOSABLE FIX” could perhaps fit within the record is to portray how one may react after a separation; but it truly doesn’t fit here.

That being said, I wouldn’t let one song dissuade you from listening to the incredibly emotional, vulnerable, and impressively cohesive Dispose.

All in all, I highly recommend that you check out Dispose when it drops on February 16. It’s a collection of songs that most anyone can relate to. The lyrics hit hard, the composition is incredible, and there are very few negatives here despite my gripe about the final song.

You can watch the music video for “FEEL NOTHING” here.

You can watch the music video for “NOT JUST BREATHING” here.

*Photo credit: Ashley Osborn