Sincere Engineer: Probable Claws
This June, Sincere Engineer are bringing in a new era with their fourth studio album, ‘Probable Claws’, a record that sees the Chicago-based pop-punk quartet performing at full stride under Hopeless Records.
The record kicks off on a high with ‘Twist My Tongue’, a single released in April this year. It takes the frustration that comes from staying quiet during an argument and transforms it into an infectiously energetic emo anthem, setting a high standard for the rest of the album. This is followed by ‘Cooler’, a punchy track that encapsulates one of the record’s central themes: the discomfort of watching time pass too quickly.
‘LOL’ is the first example on the album of the emotionally resonant ballads Sincere Engineer are known for slipping into their records. With its reference to 1980s punk rock band Bad Religion, the song serves not only as a continuation of the album’s themes but also as a bridge between generations within the punk community. The next track, ‘Fast Forward, Rewind’, wastes no time picking the pace back up with its relatable and high-energy take on a breakup, allowing its emotional core to flourish between shredding guitars.
Vocalist Deanna Belos cited the ballad ‘Arborvitae Evergreen’ as her favourite track, and for good reason. Its emotional core is easy to connect with, and it perfectly captures the feeling of being caught between who you used to be and who you want to become. Belos paints a picture of herself as a fearless and determined child before juxtaposing it with a chorus that recounts her many failures and the toll they have taken on her. It is a deeply personal track, rooted in memories of her childhood backyard, but the act of mourning who you once were is universal, giving the song its quiet power.
In the final stretch of the album, Sincere Engineer throw everything they’ve got into the mix, serving up hooks destined to become unstoppable earworms alongside emotional gut punches. The album closer, ‘Dynamite’, is a gentle acoustic track packed with rich emotion, its lengthy and subdued outro giving the weight of its subject matter time to fully sink in.
The record features some of Belos’ best and most poignant writing to date, with the central theme of time slipping away being implemented like a through-line in the album, and given space to shine in tracks like ‘Cooler’ and ‘Arborvitae Evergreen’ and ‘The Perfect Crime’. From iconic pop-punk energy, to emotionally rich ballads, ‘Probable Claws’ is a definite push on an upwards trajectory for Sincere Engineer.
‘Probable Claws’ is due on 26 June.