By Amanda Hu
Thomas D’Arcy’s Small Sins have been down a long road that only seems to be getting longer. The band, originally called the Ladies and Gentlemen, faced legal troubles in the United States after their first release and was forced to rename the group. The band opted to re-emerge as Small Sins, the same name as their first album and the logically least confusing alternative. With the rename, they took a damaging step back in the industry, as fans who had grown familiar with the Ladies and Gentlemen failed to recognize the band under their new moniker. The band is now working on gaining back that fan base with their new album, Mood Swings.
D’Arcy is shooting straight with acoustic instruments, sometimes-synthy moments, poppy beats and strong choir-like background vocals while simultaneously crafting lamenting and sometimes spiteful lyrics to create a emotion-filled album that isn’t grating. The track “On the Line” kicks off with a catchy bass line with D’Arcy’s voice floating along. It builds into a bombastic multi-vocal chorus that moves through interjecting guitar riffs. Lines like, “And you know I’d shoot you/ If I only had a gun” create a slightly dark tinge to D’Arcy’s peppy creations. “Drunk Email” is another deceptively happy track, built on a synth background track with D’Arcy endearingly pleading for a reply to his typo-filled and grammar-lacking electronic message.
Mood Swings makes for a lamentful journey that doesn’t bog the listener down with dreary tracks and shows promise for Small Sins’ return to their former music industry glory.