The Menzingers – From Exile

When The Menzingers released Hello Exile last year, the album solidified the band’s maturity with passionate, mid-tempo tunes high on reflection and sing-along charm.  The disc actually felt more like a stripped down offering in relation to past outings, so it threw me for a loop when a short year later, the band announced From Exile, an even slower and more minimalistic version of Hello Exile. 

From Exile, reimagines Hello Exile through acoustic strumming and a bare bones intent.  Songs like “America You’re Freaking Me Out” and “Strangers Forever” surrender their rough edge in favour of a cleaner acoustic core.  The outcome makes for hyper-reflective songs that accentuate the original’s sense of society on a downward spiral.  Tracks like “High School Friend” and “Last To Know” infuse new elements like harmonica and violin into the mix, building off the emotive tone and evoking new emotions with familiar songs.  “I Can’t Stop Drinking” is a particularly strong example, achieving a sullen tone that mirrors the moment right after hitting rock-bottom.  It’s a heavy hearted song that weighs all the heavier this time around.

But considering that Hello Exile already defined itself as “the slow album,” From Exile is not exactly a significant departure from the original.  That being said, there’s something so appropriate about re-recording a “sad” album in a “sadder” key a year later during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  If society wasn’t already heading down a grim path last year, then 2020 adds a whole new level of context. Songs like “Hello Exile” and “Farewell Youth” explore the downsides of growing up too fast, which feels all the more tragic for those now caught in a salvo of current events.  And then there’s the former title-track, made even more devastating with its newly lethargic tempo and sorrow-filled chords that land with swaths of anguish. It’s the purest representation of defeat and heartbreak that The Menzingers have ever written.  Others, like “London Drugs,” which a colleague pointed out kind of faded into the background of Hello Exile, really shine bright in their new context.  There’s just something about the somber tone that accentuates the song’s subtle optimism amidst From Exile’s general despair. 

On a curious parallel, The Bouncing Souls also released a collective acoustic reenvisioning within a month of From Exile.  However, in their case the band opted to go with a selection of greatest hits spanning their entire discography.  The proximity of these releases evokes curiosity as to what The Menzingers could have come up with had they built the project around stripping down other classics and fan favourites, such as those from Chamberlain Waits and Rented World. In other words, the similarities between From Exile and the band’s deeper discography would have sonically presented greater contrast.

Overall, From Exile is a curious companion album that fits its apocalyptic 2020 release.  The songs are highly emotive and infuse some new acoustic instrumentation courtesy of their stripped down delivery.  Much like their original counterparts these are far from feel-good anthems, landing with a heavy heart, accentuated by From Exile’s slow burn and sullen atmosphere.  It’s hard to recommend From Exile over Hello Exile, but like most companion albums, that’s not really the point.  For fans looking to get some more mileage from Hello Exile’s journey, From Exile is a worthwhile trip.