Recommended Tracks: “Cookie Monster Snapback,” “VAN,” “Bottle Episode”
Artists You Might Like: saturdays at your place, Hot Mulligan, Carpool
Summerbruise has released their most intentionally heartfelt project to date with Infinity Guise via SideOneDummy Records. The new album serves as the Indianapolis fake-emo band’s first release under a major label and as a full band. The group originally surfaced in 2015 and now consists of Mike Newman (lead vocalist/lyricist), Stanli Fryman (drummer), John Parkison (bassist), Mitch Gulish (guitarist) and Cora Kunda (guitarist).
Infinity Guise is a striking account of self-deprecating humor, emotional vulnerability and the internal balance between the two told from the perspective of Newman’s own life experiences.
“Making It Worse” opens the album with a laid-back bass line, putting a playful spin on taking even the most neutral situations and making them 10x worse. Newman uses spoken-word delivery to get the message across, with lines like “I’m in the van, being a crybaby about something I don’t remember” and “I’m being snippy with my bandmates for absolutely no good reason” portraying small, mundane inconveniences that end up fanning the flames.
This theme continues with the next track as Newman exclaims, “I can blame me for anything! Watch me!” halfway through “What Do You Mean ‘Guise’?”. Summerbruise explores issues with being egotistical and not being able to stop it. The instrumental starts out light and mellow before exploding into the chaotic, fast-paced second half of the track.
The group leans into a more pop-punk inspired sound with “Raptured Trax, pt. IV,” mixing elements of 2000s nostalgia with their signature emo flair. “Meet Hell Halfway” brings Newman’s humor back, with the short, one-minute track about his bond with his cat ending with “Assuming he understands me, which he must / Why else would he like to watch TV so much?”
“Never Bothered” pays tribute to a friend lost to suicide and the tumultuous aftermath that follows. Summerbruise’s music has always been haunted and influenced by personal experiences with death, most notably including the loss of Newman’s dad and close friend within the span of eight months in 2017.
“VAN (feat. Carpool),” which accompanied the album’s announcement in July, deals with social burnout, self-isolation and getting lost in your own head. The guitar riff is enough to make this song worth talking about, but Stoph Colasanto’s verse and the final breakdown cement it as a clear standout. Newman dedicates the next track to his wife with “Rusev Day (Say Hi To Kate),” which is the first love song he’s ever written that details the struggle of being on tour away from her. It’s a sweet song that’s sure to tug on the heartstrings of anyone who understands the mental toll of missing a partner.
“Man! I Feel Like A Dumbass!” jumps right back into that self-deprecating humor seen in the first few tracks on Infinity Guise. The song is as whimsical as it is relatable with Newman admitting “I got no diligence / If I did I could resist a cheeky cigarette” and “I got no common sense / I’m only book smart if the book’s about wrestling.” The song leans into the humor in a very literal way, ending abruptly after he sings, “I can’t finish anything.”
Summerbruise teams up with Hot Mulligan’s Tades Sanville for “Cookie Monster Snapback.” The song is the first effort not centered around Newman’s own personal experiences, instead pulling inspiration from a straight-A student he taught that fell victim to harmful TikTok brainrot. He sings of his worries surrounding the child’s beliefs with “Fifth grader with a straight face singin’ Andrew Tate’s praise / Calling kids females” and “But he’s not staying out of trouble, he’s in his little bubble / Learning all the fastest ways to ruin everything.” The best part of this collaboration is that it was born completely from a joke. Newman shares,
“We’re all half-jokingly obsessed with the song ‘Ants Marching’ by the Dave Mathews Band, and started playing it but with midwest emo chords instead. Mitch said it sounded like a Hot Mulligan song, so I started screaming the lyrics in my best Tades impression, and one thing led to another.”
Newman opens up a conversation with his younger self on “Bottle Episode.” The guitar-driven track comes to terms with realizing your adult life has turned out nothing like you imagined growing up. “Sad Gimmick” is another emotionally heavy song that takes the self-deprecating humor of previous tracks and throws it out the window. Newman somberly reflects on his anxiety and fears that he’s messing everything up, eventually convincing himself that he deserves the torment.
“Was The Grink There” serves as the finale to Infinity Guise, watching Newman address his anger towards himself and the way he reacts to situations. The steady, dynamic track reveals his frustration with the way he handles issues and recognizes how this makes the people around him feel, especially when on tour with his bandmates.
Infinity Guise is a seamless record that introduces Summerbruise as a strong, unshakable unit. The fake-emo group deliver their most cohesive body of work that’s equal parts personal and resonant. The humor, vulnerability and quirkiness that’s embedded into the core of Infinity Guise make it a killer introduction to this new chapter for Summerbruise.
The band will kick off their Fake Emo Fight Night Tour this November with stops across the United States, including Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Dallas and more. Tickets and information for Summerbruise’s upcoming shows can be found here.
