Homecoming Queen opens the album beautifully with a very emotive and intimate vocal performance, accompanied by melancholic acoustic guitar arrangements. The fair-like production elements are also eerie though fitting. The lyrics are a bleak, powerful, and heartbreaking retrospection of teenage years, accentuated with imagery of a wilting youth.

Low-Mid 8.

Weird Sisters is a downcast and depressive depiction of a fictional character’s everyday life. The instrumental is a straightforward and enjoyable slacker rock track, which doesn’t keep it from being a tight cut with direction and emotion.

Mid 8.

850 Double Pumper Holley is a recording-like interlude that preludes the next track nicely.

Nice interlude.

Rainmaker talks about a very dishevelled deity that acts as a god of rain. This more upbeat track is slightly forgettable and simplistic from a compositional standpoint but still has one or two catchy melodies. The production is also a tad bland and doesn’t help the track all that much.

High 5.

Spirit Ditch seems to be a metaphor for an emotional slump, so “sleeping” in it could be a way to describe the feeling of lying inside a heavy depression. Instrumentally and lyrically, this is a considerably evocative track and a stronger point in the record — with the absolutely lethargic electric guitar work and vocal performance being the main highlights of the song.

Low-Mid 8.

Tears on Fresh Fruit seems to be about living life alongside depression, and other people’s attempts to dig you out of it. It also touches on themes of wasted time, caused by this mental state. Instrumentally, it’s a track that feels too compositionally formulaic to justify the unpleasant abrasiveness of it. The recurring “la-la-las” are also a decision that hurt the listening experience as they are simply annoying.

Low 4.

Saturday is a wholeheartedly written cut beautifully framing a *Saturday* as a silver lining for all the hardships previously mentioned, with additional undertones of a love song. Sonically, it’s a uniquely immersive ballad, with emotive arrangements and a vocal performance — all heartwarmingly coming together.

Mid-High 8.

Cow is —instrumentally— another strong moment in the record. The guitar tones and harmonica arrangements are beautifully complimented by Mark Linkous’ intimate vocal performance. The lyrics are also a possible continuation of the last song’s love interest: the “pretty girl, milkin’ a cow” who represents a sign of hope and a source of happiness.

Mid 8.

Little Bastard Choo Choo is another interlude. This time it’s honestly unnecessary but this can be overlooked.

Okay interlude.

Hammering the Cramps brings back the abrasive rock tunes, only this time the aggressive tone is actually pleasant — and considerably so. The lyrics seem to be about forcing oneself to be better by “hammering the (emotional) cramps”, probably caused by unattainable expectations; suggested by lyrics like “hey little dog, can you fly?”.

Mid 8.

Most Beautiful Widow in Town seems to be a posthumous love song, written by the person who left behind a widow. This introspective-sounding ballad has some great guitar arrangements and strip-down production that go very well with the morose message. Also, they complement the instrumental breakdown nicely.

High 8.

Heart of Darkness is an absolutely fantastic and unprecedented achievement in the form of a ballad. The production is massively enveloping, and all of the arrangements fit together commendably. The lyrics touch upon the protagonist’s depressive state once again, with arguably some of the album’s most evocatively written lyrics depicting healing through romance — possibly all tied together and referring to the same romantic relationship.

Mid-High 9.

Ballad of a Cold Lost Marble is a legitimately infuriating tracklisting decision and a massive lapse in judgement. This over-the-top and needlessly harsh interlude being placed right after the best ballad of the record is unforgivable.

0.

Someday I Will Treat You Good is a very aggressive break-up song from a deeply flawed protagonist who claims they will change. The lyrics are enjoyable in their blatant dishonesty — something that makes the track seem like an ironic jab at people like the protagonist… toxic and aggressive yet quick to feel remorseful. Instrumentally, this track is a loveable high-energy song with intoxicating compositions and performances that feel focused. The chorus is also memorable, as is the guitar solo towards the end; in essence, all of this makes the track solid but not mind-blowing.

Low 8.

Sad & Beautiful World is —lyrically— a very simple and self-explanatory albeit evocative cut. Equally, the composition is a straightforward and consistent ballad with passionate electric guitar melodies that applaudably come together.

Low 8.

Gasoline Horseys is a metaphor for motorcycles — the ones that a second party is inviting the protagonist to escape on. Instrumentally, it’s another rather intimate and immersive ballad, and an appreciable one to close on.

Low 8.