In Our Bones
Chrissy Costanza makes In Our Bones feel more assured than its familiar material might suggest. She can push a bright pop-punk chorus hard, then soften her delivery without sounding as though she has moved into a different band. Against the Current build their debut around that flexibility, mixing guitars and synthesizers into songs with a clear sense of forward motion.
“Running with the Wild Things” gets there immediately. The rhythm is urgent, the chorus opens wide, and Costanza carries the busy phrases without losing the tune. “Forget Me Now” takes a similar approach to unreliable friends, turning dismissal into something brisk and enjoyable. Neither song offers an unusual subject, but the performances give the attitude enough personality to land.
The title track is more revealing. Its gentler setting lets a smaller gesture feel important, and Costanza handles that change with good judgment. The song does not need the opening tracks' full force to make its point. That ability to adjust matters across an album moving between electronic pop textures and a more direct guitar attack. “Blood Like Gasoline” supplies one of the stronger examples of the latter, giving the sequence another useful burst of energy.
The limitations mostly concern the writing. “Runaway” is effective as a piece of uplifting pop-rock, though its language rarely reaches beyond familiar expressions. “Brighter” and “Wasteland” have less character than the strongest material, leaving the voice to supply most of the interest. The album would feel more individual if the situations were as clearly drawn as the choruses.
Even so, the record's warmth is persuasive. Its production makes the different musical elements easy to hear, and the musicians keep the songs moving toward a clear melodic payoff. In Our Bones is strongest when Costanza changes the size of her performance to fit the feeling. Those moments suggest an identity more interesting than the standard messages about youth and self-belief around them.
