April 13th, 2012 
Josh Hammond 
Artist: The Forecast
Album: Everybody Left
Genre: Emo, Indie Rock
At 31, I have no idea how I made it this far in life without managing to hear a record by The Forecast. Combining two of my favorite things in life (good, sad indie pop lyrics and power-pop structure). There is no reason this band shouldn’t have been on my radar and filling the void that Straylight Run left with their departure from my life.
“Everybody Left,” the latest release from the Peoria, Illinois band is honestly something special. This is because, while it is the quintessential emo album, somehow at the same time, it isn’t. Instead of conjuring up ghosts about ex-girlfriends and friends who overdosed, The Forecast paints a picture of (as I interpreted it) outgrowing their music scene, but having no skills to fall back on, other than being a part of the music scene. Honestly, on a personal level, I can think of nothing more heartbreaking.
The album starts with the title cut, an acoustic track describing fairweather relationships and the side effects of a fickle lifestyle. Starting with more of alt-county ala Limbeck sound, the band holds out their power-pop tendencies until the album’s second track, “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts.” Flopping back and forth music, this rollercoaster of sound swells through the album, creating an unstable and inconsistent approach to songwriting. However, I do not consider this a fault. Nor should they. Exploiting their talents in multiple genres, their appeal to fans of emo, indie, pop-punk and midwest rock allows them a certain level of credibility and freedom to explore as they should choose.
Furthermore, while it would be easy for a person to write off The Forecast as simple, for not writing albums dipped in lyrics written by the likes of Joni Mitchell, the band manages to effectively materialize cohesive stories that would make Hemingway himself happy. These heartbreaking tales can touch the lives of even the toughest souls and leave the most standoffish people feeling a sense of connection and endearment. The bitter but beautiful lyrics laced through the album, allow the band thrives on emotion. The Forecast make perfectly clear that they are not only comfortable with who they are musically, but willing to make no excuses for their sound.
The result of those explorations is a brave and fresh approach interweaving male and female vocal combo, keen in the art of storytelling. While “Everybody Left” is not without flaw, it is extremely relatable. I would suggest this album to anyone who has ever had to throw their hands into the air with disgust, abandoning the dreams they’ve spent a lifetime working for. This album is about how much it hurt to stop living childhood dreams and approach adulthood. It is about growth that accompanies that. It is about loss. It is about reflecting on change and the reactions of those you left behind. Somewhere something in this album is going to be about you. There is no denying that that is the stuff that the world’s greatest albums are made from. You can call me emotional. But I believe that with all my heart. And listening to this album, these guys do too.
SCORE: 8/10
Review written by: Joshua Hammond (Twitter)
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