MISS MAY I 'No Place For Me'

MISS MAY I
No Place For Me
Solid State Records

Miss May I returned this weekend with its latest album, No Place For Me.  The band’s first new record in more than four years, the 10-song record is a solid return for the band that will definitely find a place among so many audiences’ music libraries.  This is proven in part through its general presentation.  The album’s musical presentation adds another layer to the appeal, as does the album’s overall lyrical body.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album.  All things considered, they make No Place For Me a solid new offering from Miss May I that will easily find its own place among this year’s field of notable new hard rock and metal albums.

No Place For Me, the brand-new full-length studio recording from Miss May I, is a presentation that certainly proves it was worth the wait of more than four years.  That is exhibited in part through its general presentation.  As noted, the album spans 10 songs, whose total run time is just over half an hour.  More specifically, the album runs approximately 33 minutes. That makes it even shorter than the band’s then latest album, Curse of Existence(2022), which clocks in at a “whopping” 37 minutes and even that record’s own predecessor, Shadows Inside (2017) whose run time is roughly 34 minutes.  That is important to note because from beginning to end, the album’s songs and their energies make it feel like that time passes so quickly.  The shortest of the album’s entries clocks in at just under three minutes (two minutes, 49 seconds to be exact) while the longest comes in at just under four minutes (three minutes, 54 seconds precisely).  Because each arrangement is so high energy (for lack of better wording), the record moves quickly from one song to the next.  Even as quickly as the album progresses, it does not leave listeners feeling lost at any point.  Rather, audiences are still able to follow the whole with relative ease.  The result therein is that it makes it that easy for audiences to remain engaged and entertained throughout the album.

Knowing the positive impact of the album’s general presentation, the arrangements themselves are the next logical point to address.  From beginning to end, the musical arrangements featured herein are all familiar territory.  The blending of sounds from contemporaries to Miss May I, such as Unearth, I Prevail, Killswitch Engage, etc. makes for plenty for audiences to appreciate in itself. Taking such approach to the album’s musical body is nothing new for the band.  At the same time, the arrangements still maintain their own unique identity separate from the band’s existing body of work.  To that end, the album’s musical body will engage and entertain audiences just as much as the album’s general presentation.

Rounding out the most important of the album’s items is its noted lyrical body.  Throughout the course of the album, the song's touch on a variety of topics.  That diversity in lyrical content definitely helps the album in its own right.  Right from the album’s outset, ‘Sanctuary,’ front man/founder Levi Benton explains the song touches on the familiar matter of mental health in a unique way.  He explains that essentially it centers on people who have tendencies toward self-sabotaging and destruction.  As he notes, “You can never find a place because you’re always destroying everything around you – even if people are trying to help you.  It’s like you almost have it figured out.  All of a sudden you self-destruct.”  This theme is exhibited as Benton sings in the song’s chorus, “Need you to open up/So I can cut you deep/I wanna watch you bleed/Want you to feel like me.”  This is that self-destructive personality of which Burton was commenting.  There are people out there like that and maybe this will help those people heal as they see themselves in this song.

On a completely different note, ‘Ashes of the Altar’ deals with the fallout of a broken marriage.  This is inferred as Benton sings, “Poisoned vows/Spit ‘em out/Our trembling hands pretend it’s heaven/So delicate/Showered in gasoline/We felt the heat/As we walked straight into the altar’s flames/You spit it out/You promised that you’d/Love me if I falter/Love me when I fall/Ashes of the altar/Love can’t save us all/Let the fire burn/Garden of rot/This wilted mess/In place of Eden/So poisonous/We let the venom flow/We let it go.”  Again, this comes across as that fallout from the relationship that clearly was doomed from the beginning.  This is someone looking back on that situation, evaluating it all.  It is certainly its own unique work that will resonate with various listeners.

The album’s finale, ‘Highbrow Thieves,’ tackles yet another familiar theme all its own.  As Benton explains of this song, “‘Highbrow Thieves’ was born from being a workaholic.  I balance three full-time jobs with music and touring.  I get all of these demands from people who have no clue what the hell they’re talking about.  Even though these bosses steal your time from you, you need to punch the clock because it’s how life goes for all of us.”  Everybody knows that feeling of which Benton speaks.  At the same time, it is an uplifting song of defiance.  This as Benton sings at one point, “This is no place for highbrow thieves/Take what you want/But you won’t take a thing from me.”  In other words, “Take what you want, but I refuse to let you take my soul, to take my mental health.”  It is a message that, again, is sure to resonate with audiences.  
When this and the other themes addressed here are considered along with the rest of the album’s lyrical content – and that whole with the overall musical body herein – the whole, along with the album’s general presentation makes No Place For Me a record that will certainly find its own place in this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.

No Place For Me is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:

Website: https://missmayimusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missmayi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/missmayiband

4.0 Out Of 5.0