The next track, “Some other arms,” deals with the familiar topic of unrequited love. The singer is in love with a girl whose heart belongs to another and he tries to come to terms with it, saying that as long as she’s happy with this other man, he will be happy for her. The accompaniment on this song matches the lyrics well. “Killing roses” is one standout on the album. Leftwich sings about a girl who is going through a difficult time in her life, but she’s trying to put on a brave face. The singer says that he can see through her facade, and warns her that if she continues to deal with her problems alone, she’ll never get better. The overall mixing and mastering on this track is brilliant, and the playful tempo picks up during the chorus and slows down during the verses.
The second half of this album is more downtempo, and although the songs here are in no way bad, the tracks seem like filler for the album. On the second last track, “Mayflies”, Leftwich sings with an upbeat instrumental about how the girl he’s interested in may not be the right person for him. On “Frozen moor”, the final track, the singer looks for friends to comfort him, singing about his loneliness over soft guitar chords and mellow drums.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich has created a great collection of emotional songs with After the Rain. Although the album becomes a little monotonous in the second half, the production and vocals remain brilliant throughout, and this is one album that has at least one song relevant to everyone.
3/5
Image: BenjaminFrancisLeftwich.com
