Mo Kenney

The Details

BY Laura StanleyPublished Sep 27, 2017

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On Mo Kenney's candid third record, The Details, we follow Kenney through a period of depression to eventual stability. The songs are short — the details are concise — and roll effortlessly from one to the next like how the days do when you're not paying attention. But despite the brevity of these songs, Kenney fills them with a sharp wit and a brutal honesty that makes you hang on every detail.
 
Overall, The Details is rougher than Kenney's previous two releases, and the coarse guitar and punchy percussion match Kenney's scrappy resiliency. "On the Roof" is a panicked track, as Kenney wades through agitated guitar parts, while the equally murky "June 3rd" packs a weighty punch thanks to the repetition of the line, "I'm such a liar, I'm such a cheat." The standout tracks are in the latter half of the album, as Kenney starts to find peace amidst the chaos. On "I Can't Wait," she begins to stand upright, and the muted and methodical guitar strums echo Kenney's steady commitment to heal: "I can't wait to get out of my head," she sings.

The closer, "Feelin' Good," is a sparse track and the most subtle song on the album, but it's filled with a startling light. To open, Kenney sings, "I'm feeling good for the very first time"; what follows is a celebration of self and an uplifting end to an emotional journey.
(Pheromone)

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