Off Road Minivan Presents MAY THIS KEEP YOU SAFE FROM HARM Album Review – Emotionally Driven Rock

Posted on by Alex Winters

A gentle piano melody flows with a trace of aloofness, as if the world has begun to crumble around the notes while they stroll onward. This dreamy mode is shortly interrupted by a shrill, invasive tone. The rising feedback from a guitar amp growls into an explosive entryway for the rhythm and bass guitars and drums to follow. Now the reserved piano tune is replaced by the boisterous lead guitar’s version as it translates the rainy-day intro into a punk rendition.

It’s the weight that’s lifted, while the world has shifted having cut down the tallest tree…

Off Road Minivan’s most recent album, May This Keep You Safe From Harm, lyrically entwines some of the inner and outer adversities faced by bassist Ryan (Tuck) O'Leary.

After the band closes out its sonic whiplash of an intro, the instruments rein the powerful verse into a fading echo as the vocals softly ease in.

There goes your mind again, how’s it feel to lose another friend

Wake up don’t pack don’t eat, you’re driving home there’s other times to sleep

Much of the song Basement ebbs and flows between states of inaction and erupting verses that revisit the intro’s gloomy piano theme. The chorus sways with an edge of resignation as the lead guitar shadows the vocals. Although subdued here, a steady drumbeat then seems to urge the pained lyrics forward as a tangible anchor for them to hold to. We begin to feel anticipation rise between the calmer, reflective choruses, and the more active verses that breathe energy back into the hushed intervals.

Off Road Minivan’s MAY THIS KEEP YOU SAFE FROM HARM Interweaves Divergent Tones

Carried in by a succession of raw snare beats and a descending guitar riff, the brief intro to Victim Complex merges into a verse rife with aggressive chords tinged with melancholy. We can hear the heartbeat of this track wrapped in a cadence of friction. Charged, pounding rhythms contrast the lament of the vocals, as the song restlessly works to contain the space between their rivaling poles.

If I never see you again

If I never see you again it would be too soon

A continuous wall of noise resounds against O’Leary’s clean vocals throughout the song, which builds into an almost dissonant yet melodic texture. Rhythm guitar and bass notes fill each chorus with this constant uproar, whereas the lead guitarist and vocals counter this chaos with flowing riffs and eloquent singing. Backing vocals begin to howl independently behind O’Leary’s words as they inject a chilling layer of depth to his wistful undertone.

Another red flag in my face

But you wave me in like I’m your number one

That was the day you broke my heart

Throughout, the album’s tonal direction is framed by his life experiences. In this writer’s opinion, Off Road Minivan’s approach doesn’t alienate listeners with its themes of loss and conflict.

 

May This Keep You Safe From Harm is especially recommended for listeners who enjoy emotionally inspired rock bands that imbue a dichotomy of elements from heavier punk to elegant, dream-textured styles.

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Click here for more info on how to listen to May This Keep You Safe From Harm.

Photos by Alexx Duvall courtesy of Tooth and Nail Records

Alex Winters

About the Author: Alex Winters

Although unsure of where his affinity for music and writing began, Alex Winters enjoys finding new, often unconventional music, reading novels, writing fiction inspired by the niche of eerie, post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and working on crossword puzzles. Being outdoors is another hobby he enjoys, which led him to take up long-distance running by himself at first, but he gradually warmed to the idea of meeting with a small running group (when it’s not freezing outside). When he isn’t listening to his instrumental rock playlists, writing, or both, he tries to find time to hike mountain trails with his family and friends.

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