IN REVIEW: Laura Jane Grace - "Stay Alive"

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While many expected the eighth Against Me! record to arrive in 2020, 2020 has had other plans for everyone. Rather than sit back silently, Laura Jane Grace decided to book a whirlwind recording session with Steve Albini; the result is the quickly recorded and quick-playing Stay Alive, its fourteen largely acoustic solo performances clocking in at just under a half hour that sometimes hearkens back to the DIY feel of early Against Me!

As an album, Stay Alive doesn't offer a great deal of deviation from its aesthetic; as mentioned, the majority of these songs are simple acoustic guitar and voice performances, with the occasional appearance of an electric guitar and/or drum machine (most noticeably on SuperNatural Possession, the closest thing to a feasible radio single this album has). 

I can't really complain about the bare bones presentation, though; some of this material may have suffered with the rawness stripped away. Besides, the solitary vibe is much more in step with the times than a full-band bombast. There will surely be a time for bombast when the worst of our global pandemic is over, so what's wrong with some honest, vulnerable introspection while we wait?

October 1, 2020 • Polyvinyl
Highlights The Calendar Song • SuperNatural Possession • Hanging Tree

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