In just six short years, Tiny Moving Parts, an emo/math rock three-piece from Benson, Minnesota, has been through a lot more as a band than they ever expected when they started playing together in 2010. Now, after touring relentlessly under a multitude of different bands and successfully releasing two albums along with a handful of EPs, we find them in 2016 getting ready to headline their own tour and releasing their anthemic third album “Celebrate.” With the release of this LP we see Tiny Moving Parts on top of their game like never before; however, for someone unfamiliar that’s not so easy to tell listening to the opening lines of track one, “Good Enough.”
“Nothing’s ever good enough” are the first words bellowed on the album, and those words put into perspective exactly what you are going to get out of this insanely intricate and powerful LP: depressing lyrics with music that makes you want to get up and have the best time of your life. That’s what makes Tiny Moving Parts a unique band — their ability to incorporate pounding drums and intricate mathy guitar riffs with sad, hopeless lyrics.
Lead guitarist, vocalist and lyricist Dylan Mattheisen might fool you with his cheesy smile and chubby cheeks, but he’s actually one of the saddest boys in the music industry, which he makes clear on track three, “Birdhouse,” as he screams out “If you ever want to know / what it’s like to be alone / just ask me.” Surprisingly enough, these lyrics are relatively less sad than those on albums before. What makes “Celebrate” such an impressive album is the level of maturation Tiny Moving Parts has been through in just a handful of years.
With an album titled “Celebrate,” one would not expect to hear such gloomy and heartbreaking lyrics, but that’s what Tiny Moving Parts wants you to get out of it. The theme of the album is to be optimistic: Even when things go wrong and not how you expect, you still have to celebrate and move on. “Celebrate” is a party from start to finish, and Tiny Moving Parts makes you feel welcome through every moment of it. Each song is powerful, vibrant and most importantly fun in every way and their sound is more polished and put together than on any album before. Tiny Moving Parts is one of the most creative and refreshing bands out there, and what they want more than anything is for you to have the best time ever, no matter how sad you’re feeling.
