Sweeping Promises are a post-punk/art punk duo from Lawrence, Kansas consisting of guitarist & drummer Caufield Schnug as well as bassist & vocalist Lira Mondal. Making their debut in the summer of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic with Hunger for a Way Out, they would go on to follow it up in 2023 with the sophomore effort Good Living is Coming For You & the positive reception both of those receive landed the pairing a deal with Sub Pop Records. The teasers building up towards their 3rd studio LP gave me hope of them getting the exposure they deserve & I had to find out if that’s the case or not.

The lead single “Shooting Shadows” wasn’t too bad of an artsy post-punk intro describing one’s personal space being invaded whereas “My Friend’s an Entomologist” sings about having a colleague who’s an expert regarding invasive species. “Last Man” thematically bases itself around Mary Shelley’s novel of the same name discussing a cholera outbreak & after the “Rapture, Or…” takes inspiration from Siouxsie Sioux to tackle apocalyptic themes, “Abduction on Camera” keeps the post-punk vibes for a powerful anti-ICE anthem.

“My Anchoress” kicks off the 2nd half conceptually centering itself around Julian of Norwich leading into the final single “Cocoon” develops a concert staple of theirs written after the Hunger for a Way Out sessions in a disarmingly dead-simple way. “Accent” maintains a post-punk sound singing about words not landing when falling out of their mouths & once “Does He Want to Be the Weatherman?” cheerfully uses meteorology as an unusual metaphor, “Write Lightly” concludes the album responding to those saying their perspective’s compromised.

Conceived during an 18 month period, the Sweeping Promises take the ethos they’ve developed & turn it upside-down for debatably the most frenzied half hour of their 6 year career marking their debut for Sub Pop Records. You Say I Romanticize’s post-punk influences are significantly minimized within the production compared to their earlier material, emphasizing the art punk & indie rock elements for a tribute to the chaos of creation & collaboration under shifting circumstances.

Score: 4/5

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