Review: BANNERS leaps into the sun with new album, ‘All Back to Mine’

Few artists are more deserving of superstardom than BANNERS. Behind the stage name, Michael Nelson tests the elasticity of pop music, stretching until it snaps over his fingertips. He bobs to and fro in his music, so often dishing up wonderfully delicious and hopeful earworms that seem to burrow into the brain. Where his I Wish I Was Flawless, I’m Not EP exposed the frayed nerve endings of human existence, his brand new album, All Back to Mine, glistens in the hot summer sun with joyous melodies and bouncy production.

From the jaunty encourager “Name in Lights” (“Just be yourself and you’re gonna shine,” he howls) to the equally boisterous “Have You Ever Loved Someone,” Nelson tangles his voice into a mix of cosmic-bound silos and the sort of arena-stamped anthems that will never not get the blood pumping. He’s a tortured poet who shows no qualms in burying his fangy lyrics beneath layers of colorful synths, piano, and drums. It’s a deceptive trick that forces you to give it all your focus, further permitting the listener to glean whatever they choose from the music. “Have you ever loved someone so much it tears you apart?” he asks, looping this query over and over again. In his quest, he poses that question to the listener with a resolve to provoke.

Naturally, BANNERS peppers in gutting, emotionally-charged performances for good measure. Several counterbalances give the album a bit of weight; teetering between imposing mountainscapes and deathly and dark valleys. Look no further than “Life’s Just No Fun” and “Anywhere for You,” the latter energized with brushstroked piano and palpitating drums. Little else is needed to evoke the sense of emotional urgency at which Nelson truly excels. When given the room and attention, his voice detonates in the air.

“In Your Universe” shimmers with a similar veneer, the percussion ringing clear and bright in the eardrums. “Darling, if I could just hold you, I give it all just to know you,” whispers Nelson. The song expands and contracts like so many gaseous orbs piercing the black velvet night sky. The singer-songwriter’s musical contrasts paint the album with a full scope of living and loving, braced with thorns and scented blossoms. As evidenced by other essentials like “Perfectly Broken,” among Nelson’s finest vocal performances, he possesses a rare talent that should be cherished and celebrated. When you hear his tone, you know you’re about to be knocked off your feet.

BANNERS neatly wraps hope, love, and joy in a tight little package. All Back to Mine may not be a substantial reconfiguring of pop music, per se, but it achieves what it sets out to do: it makes you feel.

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