Written by Julia Kender
Alternative band America Part Two's debut album was released on March 12th. Titled "Price of a Nation", this record is filled with solid production, strong vocals, and lyrical content that discusses the important ongoing political issues occurring in the United States of America.
The album begins with “Welcome the Times”, which starts sort of quiet and slow but builds beautifully. It’s the shortest song on the album, but it fits perfectly as an opener.
“I Don’t Wanna”, one of my personal favorites, comes next, and it starts off heavy and hard right off the bat. The chorus is so catchy and makes you wish you could be at a concert jamming to this song.
Next up is “Officer”, a slower track in comparison to “I Don’t Wanna”, but a nice break after such a hard-hitting song. The lyrics are centered around the reality of police brutality in the United States, brought to life with lines like, “Officer / Won't take me alive / Don’t want to die by your hand.”
“Glaciers” is also a slow song, but in a completely different way. Where “Officer” still had a harder feel to it, “Glaciers” is more acoustic-leaning, for at least the first half.
Once the song is about halfway through, it gets faster and the electric guitar takes center stage. It's able to balance the original mellow feel with picking things up just the right amount.
The following song, “Freedom”, starts softer, too, but builds up faster. It’s one of the longest songs on the album.
There’s a part where the screaming gets more intense, which fits well. The spoken sequence towards the end about the titular concept of freedom and how to find it fits in perfectly.
“Split 2020” feels very much like early 2000s songs from The Offspring, which is really fun. The track is a bit of a different vibe than the rest of the album but still flows well with the overall themes of the record.
The next track, “Talk it Out”, is about the job climate in America right now. America Part Two mentions panic attacks, not enjoying their jobs, and the pressure of making money, all topics that are way too familiar to listeners but are important to be discussing right now.
“Cry Millenial Cry” slows the album down a bit, before things get deep with “The Bridge”. This is an introspective track and makes you think about your own life, where you’re going, and what you’ve done so far.
The final song, “America Part Two”, is the longest song on the album at just over five minutes. It feels like a perfect conclusion, wrapping up the album well.
As a whole, “Price of a Nation” touches on some very real topics while still being incredibly strong sonically. America Part Two absolutely knocked it out of the park on their first full-length, and we can't wait to hear what they do next.
“Price of a Nation,” and the rest of America Part Two’s discography is available wherever you stream music, merch is available on their online store and you can give them a follow on Twitter @AmericaPartTwo! Be sure to let us know what you thought of the record by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw.
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