Saint Nick the Lesser says a lot with his first album ‘Growing up, growing out’. It’s both so personal, yet at the same time, relatable to everyone’s lives. From the onset, “21 Minutes” is an energizing force that can’t be ignored, and “Anne-Marie” comes in soon after, embodying a softer side and a little more heart. “Catfish Bones” is next up on the marquee and is one of the songs that fully display Saint Nick’s punk rock origins, full of grit and swagger. “Cassandra” is another favorite off the record, one of the most immediate and powerful, heightened by its use of live strings that add so much to the emotion without making it overly sentimental.
“Thorazine” is perhaps a more downbeat look on the other side of the album, a nice mix of rough around the edges and just the right measure of groove. “God Bless” is more straight-up honest, displaying that raw human emotion of being vulnerable and strong all at once, while “August in the Rain” provides a gentler punch, much like a moment of pause. “Train Tracks” is more rhythmic and utilizes imagery to tell a story and feel both a movement, yet a sense of yearning at the same time. Some of the themes and motifs of life’s curveballs and making the best of it all come up throughout the record, providing that sense of cohesion, even if not a formal concept album by any means.
The album closes with “Amethyst” and “The Tunnel”, with the former of the two continuing to feel so personal while also feeling like it tells a more complete story, highlighted by the use of string work and range of dynamics in the performance, while “The Tunnel” somehow evokes that sense of closure but also an escape that doesn’t feel like the end of the road per se but more of a move onward, much in the same way of the album’s title. ‘Growing up, growing out’ is a raw but ultimately mature collection of songs with a lot of thought put into every aspect, from writing to performance. It encapsulates what Saint Nick the Lesser has spent ten years of his life on the road accumulating and distills it all into a debut record that is just as much an energetic push as it is a moment to reflect.
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