Disclaimer

On his second album under the Disclaimer banner, Michigan-based singer-songwriter Chris Willie Williams explores the emotional responses that come at the end of a long-term relationship. Williams is a remarkably talented lyricist, writing highly literate songs about anger, self-pity, jealousy and sadness without ever coming across as overly earnest. He also manages to stuff in enough pop culture references to make Matt Groening blush. The album’s lyrical highlight has to be "Hell,” with its chorus: "the love you take is inversely proportionate to the love you make.” Williams’s plain vocal style effectively creates emotional distance between the heartbroken lyrics and the music and he capably handles nearly all the instrumentation himself, using guitar, drums, plenty of synthesisers, and various electronic textures. The music features many stylistic-shifts, from raging punk rockers like "You Ruined Everything” to haunting ballads like "Generic Shoulder Blade Tattoo” and everything in-between. Writing about a failed relationship is nothing new in rock but Williams’s take on the well-worn theme of heartbreak is unique and fresh.