Enumclaw, the Pacific Northwest band from Tacoma, Washington (not far from the city that inspired the name), delivered a recognizable sound on their debut album, Save the Baby (2022). They offered their fresh take on 1990s alternative rock, including the surprisingly tender “Jimmy Neutron”. On Home in Another Life, recorded in just four days, primary songwriter Aramis Johnson wears his heart on his sleeve and shares more courageously than in previous work. The record is better for its bare one’s soul approach, even if the result can sometimes be overstated.
Enumclaw formed in 2021 and consisted of what they describe as a “loose confederation of Washington state acquaintances who happened to like indie rock”. That trio included Johnson, drummer Ladaniel Gipson, and guitarist Nathan Cornell. Johnson’s younger brother and bassist, Eli Edwards, joined just prior to their debut album. Their garage band sounds can be attributed to their overall aesthetic, but one would imagine they are still figuring out their dynamic as a group.
Johnson’s vocal range is stretched on even some of the best songs here, which include “Change” and “This Light of Mine”. “Change” serves as a good reminder that powerful indie songs don’t need vocals with corresponding quality. Take any number of Dinosaur Jr. cuts, for example. When Johnson sings “When we were fine,” the last note is clearly off-key, but there is something endearing about the fact he makes the attempt. “This Light of Mine” finds Johnson channeling the intensity of Greg Dulli over the driving rhythm of Deftones, and the result is exemplary.
Even if Enumclaw’s style channels alternative rock, with the intense and glimmering sounds of a band like Local H, the lyrical content, not to mention Johnson’s vocal delivery, screams emo. When new vices fill the empty space left by the absence of his lover, Johnson sings, “See I’ve been covered in my own blood / Been to places touching above / And the only thing that makes me wake up / Is the smell of dreams in my cup.” At another point, now that he is all alone, he feels compelled to ash his cigarette on the kitchen counter (“Sink”)—a little extreme, maybe, but authentic for sure.
Most of Johnson’s songwriting is introspective, but “Grocery Store” serves as a refreshing break in Home in Another Life’s larger soul-searching theme. This track is more reminiscent of There’s Nothing Wrong With Love-era Built to Spill, whose precious ditties belied an innocence distinctive from their challenging arrangements. Lyrics such as, “But Sally’s not stupid, she knows no cupid / She just can’t go and press rewind / Daddy can’t save her he’s no sailor / Everything won’t just be fine,” eventually open up into a Doug Martsch-inspired guitar solo. It offers a different vibe from an otherwise solemn affair.
Certain tracks would benefit from more finely-tuned poetic phrasing. “Not Just Yet”, which is about Johnson’s uncle, who was recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, has a choppy cadence that distracts from the overall meaning. This is to take nothing away from the subject matter, which is clearly challenging, but figurative language sprinkled throughout would hardly minimize the urgency. “I Still Feel Bad About Masturbation” oscillates between affectionate lyrics and Puritanical repression. At its core, it’s about falling for somebody, but then shame enters the equation: “The hands on the clock tell me to stop / But I do what I want / Knock it off, you’re not the boss / You sound like my mom.” There is a fine line between candor and cringe-worthiness, but, thankfully, most of Johnson’s lyrics can be taken in context.
In fact, Johnson makes every attempt to bring some universality to his confessional style of songwriting. It must be acknowledged that he is a Black man leading a mostly Black indie-rock band, which has been a predominately white genre (aside from some clear exceptions). However, his songs speak to very human challenges: working on how to love oneself (“I’m Scared I’ll End Up All Alone”), hoping a baby will fix what’s broken (“Spots”), and wanting a chance at a fresh start (“Haven’t Seen the Family in a While, I’m Sorry”). Undoubtedly, his identity is critical to these songs, but he also understands that we all have our own baggage, which is at the heart of Enumclaw’s music.
Johnson, who is at the ripened age of 28 on this sophomore effort, admitted that he doesn’t want to be seen as “just another millennial-pilled musician, someone too deep into therapy-speak and ceaseless vulnerability to tell you just how fun it can be to play in a rock band”. Enumclaw succeed in that effort because Home in Another Life feels like a group still geeked about the prospect of getting together and jamming in the garage (or whatever space is available). That energy remains central to their allure, the very natural compulsion to share what ails us while doing so in an ego-less manner, at least to the greatest extent humanly possible.