Written by Jennifer Moglia
About a year and one week ago, Kentucky-based hardcore band Knocked Loose released their sophomore album, “A Different Shade of Blue.” After a whirlwind week of release shows which closed in their hometown, the record debuted at #26 on the Billboard Top 200, #5 on Billboard Top Albums, #7 on Current Digital Albums, #5 on Top Current Albums, as well as #1 on Current Hard Music Albums, Current Rock Albums, LP Vinyl Albums, and Independent Record Label Current Albums.
It received overwhelmingly positive reviews and was included in a multitude of end-of-year lists, including #18 on Alternative Press’s 50 Best Albums of 2019, #31 on Loudwire’s 66 Best Metal Albums of the Decade, #4 on Revolver’s 25 Best Albums of 2019 and #7 on What Culture’s 15 Best Metal Albums of 2019. This record also took Knocked Loose across the United States during fall 2019, taking along a stacked lineup of Candy, Rotting Out, and See You Space Cowboy, making the “A Different Shade of Blue Tour” one to remember.
This album is especially important to me because it’s one of the main reasons why I fell in love with hardcore. I had discovered Knocked Loose at the beginning of summer 2019, and though I definitely liked “Pop Culture”, the 2014 EP, and “Laugh Tracks”, their 2016 debut, “A Different Shade of Blue” is what really sold me as a fan of theirs and a firm believer that they are one of the best bands out there in the hardcore/hardcore-adjacent scene right now.
“A Different Shade of Blue” begins by welcoming you to “Belleville”, one of the album’s strongest tracks. While I love it because it’s named after the city in New Jersey where it was recorded (I always love to see some love for the east coast), that isn’t the only reason why it stands out; the repeated “make me feel” and “I’m going numb” lyrics are super memorable since they’re delivered with such passion from vocalist Bryan Garris.
Track two, “Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory”, was the third single released before the album dropped, and with good reason. It follows the previously established theme of easy to remember lyrics, the first phrase immediately grabbing listeners with “Life still happens when I close my eyes / How dare it leave me behind?”, as well as the repeating of the title and the pleading, “Put me back together / Resurrect.”
“A Serpent’s Touch” isn’t necessarily a track that I go back to often, but its feature by Emma Boster introduced me to Portland hardcore band Dying Wish, which she is the vocalist of. They actually just released a single called “Innate Thirst”, which I absolutely love, and signed to SharpTone records with a 7-inch record coming out on November 13th; they are genuinely one of the most exciting bands in hardcore right now, and you should absolutely check them out if you haven’t already.
The one-two punch of “In the Walls” and “Guided by the Moon” might be my favorite stretch on the album and were definitely my two favorites off of this record when it first came out. Track five even samples psychological horror game “PT”, directly leading into the cathartic “Guided by the moon / I hope you find your way.”
Track six is also where the name of the album is mentioned, putting the entire theme of the record into context simultaneously. Garris proclaims, “I don’t know how to feel / This is a different shade of blue”, describing a kind of sadness so unlike anything that has been experienced before.
Lead single “Mistakes Like Fractures” is probably my current favorite on this album, and holds a special place in my heart because of how much fun it was to hear live. The repetition of “God fell silent when I cried out” throughout the track is another one of those super memorable phrases on this record, and its delivery by Garris makes my jaw drop every time.
Other highlights include “Forget Your Name”, which includes a feature by Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley, in addition to one of my favorite lyrics on the album in “Brother in arms, amputated.” “Road 23” opens with a quote from Stephen King’s “Misery”, and its “Stop / Wait / Everything will change” sequence never fails to impress me.
Second single “...And Still I Wander South” is an anthemic, cathartic take on the struggle to move on, whether it be from a physical place or a mental state. “A Different Shade of Blue” finishes with “Denied by Fate” and “Misguided Son”, with the entire album closing on the lyric “I would rather die than be like you”, summarizing the record's theme of letting go of those who have hurt you in the past and paving your own way.
Although I never really stopped listening to this record, re-visiting it in full during the week of its first birthday definitely reminded me why I had called it one of my favorite albums of 2019. Knocked Loose showed so much growth on this record, and “A Different Shade of Blue” serves as a huge reason why they are considered one of the best bands in hardcore right now.
Knocked Loose is a hardcore band from Oldham County, Kentucky, signed to Pure Noise Records and made up of vocalist Bryan Garris, guitarist Isaac Hale, bassist Kevin Otten, drummer Kevin Kaine, and rhythm guitarist Cole Crutchfield. "A Different Shade of Blue" can be streamed wherever you listen to music, you can keep up with the band by following them on Twitter @KnockedLoose, and you can support them by buying shirts, hats, sweatshirts, jackets, records, flags, and more off of their merch store.
How did you celebrate the one-year anniversary of Knocked Loose's sophomore effort? Let us know by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!
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