When a good thing is discovered, it usually doesn't stay hidden (or, in this case, buried) for long. So Much Hope, Buried.'s I'd Be Lying To Say I'm Not Weak is a special album that has captivated many of us on staff here at JFH. If you are familiar with their Sentiment EP, you will notice while both releases could be considered post-hardcore, there is an obvious shift in vocals. While Sentiment had primarily screamed vocals, this full-length debut features clean vocalist Derek Nowak as lead singer. We are also introduced to a slew of sonic surprises. The biggest sprinklings of musical delight include an explosive saxophone solo from Nowak on "Idle Hands," some trade-off vocals with guitarist Andrew Blank which gives a pop-punk flair on "Complacency" and "Speaking In Poetry," and an unconventional bridge on "Vacant Home" featuring screamed vocals in Japanese from Mochinaga of Fall of Tears. Each track is unique and expertly crafted, whether it be haunting and beautiful, energetic and bombastic, or dynamically shifting between the two.

But make no mistake, I'd Be Lying To Say I'm Not Weak is a focused album. In addition to always finding a home base in their melodic post-hardcore sound, it also dives deep into the mind of a man "frozen in time" who is mentally struggling over a broken relationship that dissolved 3 years ago. We feel his emptiness ("Vacant Home"), his struggle for sanity ("Lucid"), and his straight-up sadness ("Worry About Me") expressed in the vocal delivery as well as through the music. On "Vacant Home," an ambient electric guitar, relatively monotone vocals, and a lone, reverb-heavy kick drum beautifully convey a sense of emptiness in the first part of each verse. "Fade," which is the only song to have lead vocals from Andrew Blank, delivers a sense of angst as the character contemplates, "Deprived from the inside / Can't feel your arms but you're heart surrounds me." True to their name, there are glimpses of hope to be found throughout. This is most apparent in the songs "Lucid" and "I'd Be Lying To Say I'm Not Weak," which have psalm-like qualities of crying out to God. The last chorus of the album leaves us with this: "I spend my life, to see your holy light / The way that you only see the better part of me / Healing wounds when I bleed / I'd be lying to say I'm not..."

Shorter than the lengthy album title suggests, I'd Be Lying To Say I'm Not Weak is over in a very digestible 31 minutes. The impressive moments on "Idle Hands" and "Vacant Home" may draw you in initially, but it's the melodic delivery and intentional lyrical and musical details that get you hooked. Tied all together with excellent production from drummer and engineer Eric Novroski, So Much Hope, Buried. is the complete package. This has been my favorite album of at least the past five years. It is a must-listen record, and it's exciting to think about where they might go from here.

- Review date: 10/24/24, written by Christopher Smith of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None
Album length: 10 tracks: 31 minutes, 41 seconds
Street Date: May 17, 2024
Buy It: Bandcamp
Buy It: SoMuchHopeBuried.com (CD / Vinyl)
Buy It: Amazon Music

1. You're Not Home When I Wake (0:39)
2. Vacant Home (Feat. Mochinaga from Fall of Tears) (4:48)
3. Complacency (3:23)
4. Lucid (3:43)
5. Fade (3:05)
6. Idle Hands (4:05)
7. Worry About Me (3:22)
8. Speaking in Poetry (3:41)
9. Intercessor (1:02)
10. I'd Be Lying to Say I'm Not Weak (3:53)