Proper Dose
Parker Cannon gives himself more than one way to sound troubled on Proper Dose. His voice still carries the force associated with The Story So Far, but softer melodies and more open arrangements make the uncertainty easier to hear. The album's reflections on addiction, isolation and recovery need that flexibility. Anger alone would give them too easy an answer.
The title track provides a strong opening because the familiar punch remains intact while the focus shifts inward. Guitar and bass parts keep the song moving beneath Cannon's uneasy self-assessment. “Keep This Up” and “Out of It” maintain that urgency. Their hooks are direct, but the songs treat destructive habits as something to examine rather than another person's fault.
“Take Me as You Please” is an important change of pace. Acoustic textures and a less confrontational delivery make vulnerability sound natural within the band's language. “Upside Down” brings a relaxed pop-rock feel that could seem too easy in another setting. Here, the space around its melody makes a troubled state of mind feel clearer. The record gets stronger when the musicians allow their usual attack to relax.
The brief “Line” stretches that idea into a hazy pause, using repeated vocals and atmosphere in place of a conventional anthem. It is not a major song by itself, but it helps the sequence breathe. Some of the lyrics elsewhere rely on familiar rhymes or broad statements where a more precise image would carry greater weight. The emotional shift is convincing even when the wording is less individual.
“Light Year” closes with renewed speed and a feeling of forward movement. It does not turn the preceding struggle into a neat lesson, which suits an album concerned with the difficult work of changing. Proper Dose keeps the group's sharp melodic instincts and gives them more useful places to go. Its range makes the heavier songs hit harder and the quieter ones feel necessary.
