Album Review La Dispute - Rooms Of The House

La Dispute are no strangers to eloquent bursts of emotion. With their previous two records, the Michigan five-piece have stood balanced on the edge of a knife. Dangling somewhere between delicate, almost spoken-word stories of melancholy, and the explosive, unharnessed spitting of words, they’re a band who have never been afraid to play with the boundaries of concept and cadence.

This time, though, with ‘Rooms Of The House’, they push even harder.

Their lyrics feel darker, the stories more tangible, more terrifying. Playing with the idea of everyday objects, and their (sometimes huge) roles in our everyday lives, the band’s latest effort is visually thrilling and sonically stimulating, providing even more intensity than their records before.

From the subtle delicacy of ‘Woman (In Mirror)’ to the fraught urgency of ‘Stay Happy There’, each moment seems to bubble with a ferocity that only occasionally breaks through the surface. As every track twists and turns, building upon their previous musical accomplishments, this feels like a band who have finally truly found their stride.