Having already spent time with Guest Directors on these pages, it feels good to come back to them at a point where the band sound so sure of their own sound. This is a group with deep musical history in their bones. Julie D brings guitar, vocals and piano, Gary Thorstensen brings guitar and vocals, Rian Turner brings drums, percussion and guitar, and Charlie Russo holds down the bass. On paper, those roots reach back through Seattle noise rock, San Diego math groove, indie rock, shoegaze, power pop and 60s folk rock. Before You Get Broken sounds like a band distilling instinct, memory, friendship and a hard-earned taste into songs that know when to shimmer and when to let the amps do the talking.
This is a guitar record with a lot happening in the margins. You hear the lines crossing in the headphones, the bass finding small pockets of movement, the drums keeping the songs alert, and the vocals sitting inside the weather of the music rather than posing in front of it. Just as it should be. Let’s dive in.
‘Meet You on the Land’ opens the record with that lovely sense of jangle being stretched through delay until the edges start to glow. The song has a strange fairytale charge to it, built around the idea of a mermaid refusing the old script and keeping her own sense of self intact. The guitars ring out with a bright, glassy movement, the rhythm section keeps everything moving with a steady pulse, and the vocal sits in that sweet spot where melody and texture become part of the same thing.
‘You Are Never’ brings a sharper body movement into the record. There is a swagger here, a cool sideways step that lets the guitars feel lean and wiry rather than massive. The track has that 90s alternative rock nerve running through it, with a hint of Sonic Youth in the angles. The drums give it lift without crowding the guitars, and the bass moves with real intent underneath. The track trucks along with confidence, and by the time the dual vocals settle into the centre of the mix, you discover this band are way more than the sum of their influences.
We move into post punk territory next with the clipped, direct attack of ‘Now I Know’. The guitars still carry the Guest Directors fingerprint, full of tone and movement, yet the song has a more pointed shape. The rhythm has a tight forward push, and the vocal delivery gives the track a clear emotional spine. It sounds alert, almost suspicious, as if every line is being measured before it leaves the mouth. This song is darker in tone and the band adapt their performances to suit.
‘Just Not Today’ is a more straightforward alt rock number. Guitars lean into those riffs with glee. They rub together, spark up, and then open out into wider shapes without losing the song underneath. Thorstensen’s vocal presence gives the track a different grain, and that shift keeps the album moving with a human sense of variety. The chorus feels built for volume, with enough melody to keep it lodged in your head and enough grit to make it worth turning up.
The band lower the lights next with ‘So Many Somedays’ lowers the lights, giving the album one of its warmest turns. The title alone carries a lot of weight, that familiar pile up of delayed decisions, half made promises, and little hopes waiting for the right moment. The music understands that feeling. The guitars are gentler here, and there’s a harpsichord which adds a softened glow. The vocal performance has a close, reflective quality that pulls you nearer to the speakers. What I like most is the patience. Guest Directors let the bloom, and the slower pace lets you notice how carefully the parts have been placed. There is still texture all around it, yet the centre feels tender and plain spoken. It gives the first half of the album a proper emotional pause.
‘Restore Your Soul’ arrives with a firmer kick. This one has a heavier alt rock shape, with the guitars carrying more muscle and the rhythm section giving the song a grounded push. The vocal has a tired, almost weary quality, which suits a song that feels concerned with pressure, control and the attempt to regain some kind of inner balance. There are small details in the guitar work and percussion that keep it moving, evolving and your head nodding.
The shimmer returns on ‘Blame Pandora’, and it does so with a lovely sense of motion. The drums have a lot of character here, full of careful accents and small rhythmic turns that make the song feel restless in the best way. The guitars slide across the top with a cleaner shine before the track grows more frayed around the middle. The title hints at curiosity, consequence and the mess that follows once certain boxes have been opened. Musically, it has that same feeling, as if the track keeps finding new rooms inside itself.
‘At the Gate’ gives the album another slower, moodier stretch. The song has a patient mid-tempo feel, and the vocal melody moves with an understated clarity that suits the atmosphere around it. I found myself paying close attention to the jazzy guitar work on this one. There is a solo that steps out beautifully, full of tone and feeling without tipping into flash. Whilst they have the background and skill to overplay at any moment, they keep choosing the song instead. A skill a lot of bands would do well to acquire.
‘What Shapes They Take’ closes the record with the band stretching out into a swirl of guitars, rhythm and strange colour. It has the sense of a final statement but it’s not in any way heavy handed. The guitars move in broad circles, at points taking on a sharp, almost psychedelic sitar like tone, while the vocals guide the song through its extended shape. You’re left with a demonstration of the full range of what this band do well, from melody to volume, from texture to momentum. Take a bow!
Before You Get Broken works because Guest Directors sound comfortable with complexity and generous with melody. They carry a lot of history between them, and they use that history as fuel rather than a crutch. You can hear Seattle guitar music in the grain, you can hear shoegaze in the blurred edges, you can hear power pop in the melodic lift, and you can hear folk rock in the way certain songs value feeling over technical display. Most of all, you hear a band that knows itself. These songs have weight, wit, patience and bite, and they ask you to listen closely to the shapes that appear once the noise settles into focus. Before You Get Broken is the sound of Guest Directors bending beautifully without breaking.
Before You Get Broken is out now on vinyl and CD via Topsy Records. You can check it out over on the Guest Directors Bandcamp page.
You can follow Guest Directors on social media here…
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