Sign Language, the undoubted rising stars of the Cincinnati scene, have just released their debut LP, titled Madison & Floral. The album is an incredible culmination of the sound that Sign Language has grown and honed in the release of their many singles prior, and shows the band truly coming into their own. Sign Language’s unique mix of shoegaze, post-hardcore, and grunge elements all coalesce into an incredible and at times downright transcendental listening experience.
The intro track lets you know what you’re in for right away. Pounding drums lead you through, as a heavier guitar melody sets the tone of the album. The instrumental track familiarizes you with the band’s distinct sound, before “The Nothing” picks right up, serving as one of the album’s heavier tracks. “The Nothing” does a wonderful job of showing off both the extremes of Sign Language’s style. Starting at a very fast pace, we get to hear the harcore/post-hardcore side of Sign Language first, with screamed vocals over heavy drums and deep guitar. The song steps back for a moment reaching the refrain, giving room for the more shoegaze aspects of the song to shine through, with vocalist and guitarist Sarah Tolley delivering a more dreamy-sounding performance than the prior screaming. The two vocalists go back and forth for the rest of the song, but this contrast is made most clear in the bridge, where the drums and guitar slow down drastically, giving time to really highlight Tolley’s vocals, before Nick Ruholt (Bass/Vocals) plunges us right back into the fast-paced action with his vocals, bringing the song to its culmination vocally and instrumentally. These first two songs perfectly establish the sounds Sign Language will be exploring with this album, and does so in an incredible duet of both sounds’ extremes.
Tolley’s vocals lead off the third track, “Abide.” The last of the lead singles prior to the album’s release, “Abide” is a similar showcase of Sign Language’s ability to blend sounds. The slightly slower, grungier instrumental is perfectly suited for both vocal styles on display, and even better suited for the listener headbang to. As in the previous song, “Abide” also slows down at the end, giving Tolley’s vocals another spotlight as she sings “You said you needed time/You wasted mine/To you I’ll abide, I’ll abide, I’ll abide.” The instrumental slowly builds as she sings, gaining depth and volume, before the repeated “I’ll abide” is accompanied by a drum lead back into the heavier sounds of the song.
Where the last two songs had been more of a back and forth, the next two songs, “The Silence” and “Burning House” choose to explore each of these sounds fully for a song. “The Silence” is a song that starts and never lets up, with Sign Language’s heavier sound on full display. Screamed vocals lead us through the song, with an incredibly catchy “Back and forth and forth again” making up the chorus. By contrast, Tolley takes the lead on the album’s slowest song, “Burning House.” Completely free of drums, “Burning House” is a testimony to Sign Language’s shoegaze capabilities, with Tolley’s singing melting into the hazy, floating guitars that make up the song’s slow melody.
There is no time given to linger on the slower shoegaze sounds of “Burning House,” however, as you are quickly thrust into “Only You,” arguably the album’s heaviest track. Here, Tolley leads us through the verses over a dramatic drumline and guitars that sound angry, almost as if they are trying to drown her out. This anger manifests in an explosive chorus, where Ruholt demands, “Can you be clear with me?/I need you here with me.” The song continues with this chorus, then fades out, giving way to the more melodic sound introduced in the final 3 songs of the album.
“Crumbling,” another of the lead singles released before the album, and “World of Light” are both slightly slower songs, which take us back to the sonic mesh of the earlier songs on the album. Both songs utilize the vocal range afforded by all three vocalists, and do an excellent job of building a sense of scale, especially as the vocalists harmonize towards the end of “World of Light.”
Everything this album establishes and explores is paid off in the jaw-dropping closer, “Unfamiliar.” “Unfamiliar” is the ultimate testament to Sign Language’s development of their sound, with the shoegaze aspects taking the lead, especially at the beginning of the song. Subtle drums and Tolley’s signature vocals lead us through the song until the incredibly cathartic chorus, which sees the instrumental picking up. The powerful instrumental adds an incredible depth to the shoegaze sound, just begging the listener to get lost in the experience. The backing vocals by Ruholt add a sense of scale that most shoegaze acts only wish they could accomplish. It’s cliche to say about shoegaze, but this truly is a song capable of making you feel like you’re floating.
Madison & Floral is a triumphant and introspective display from Cincinnati’s finest. The blend of different styles and sounds that has become Sign Language’s trademark has never been more fleshed out, and the lyricism of the album is unparalleled by any of their previous work. It takes no effort to imagine how crowds will react and how they could dance to each song, in a way that makes a listener desperate for a live performance. If Sign Language wasn’t already on your radar, give Madison & Floral a listen and see for yourself why they are taking the Ohio scene by storm.
