Ever since their debut album in 2003 with Beneath Medicine Tree, Copeland has quickly gathered a cult following in the independent music industry. Whether it is lead singer Aaron Marsh’s incredible vocal range, beautiful lyrics about love, or soothing melodies, there has always been plenty to love about Copeland. Four years later, the band could have easily decided to simply stick with the good things they had going for them like most growing bands do. With the release of their latest CD, Eat, Sleep, Repeat, Copeland has taken an evolutionary step forward with their music, proving that change can still be good even when the original product is not broken.
One of the prominent features of past Copeland albums has always been Marsh’s lyrics that revolve around love and the beauty that comes from it. However, right from the opening track “Where’s My Head?” listeners are presented a slightly more ominous tone compared to their previous efforts. In fact, if the band’s prior albums are declarations of love, then ESR can almost be considered a warning against it.
The album continues with the title track “Eat, Sleep, Repeat”, which presents this caveat against love as seen in the lyrics, “Is it any surprise that you feel so over-run? // When all this time you had no one // to tell you how to love.” This idea is further touched upon in subsequent tracks “Control Freak”, “Careful Now”, and “Love Affair”.
However, not all is gloomy throughout Copeland’s latest effort. Other songs such as “By My Side” and “I’m A Sucker For A Kind Word” still maintain a bit of the band’s soft side. But while their previous records Beneath Medicine Tree and In Motion almost contained a hopeful-yet-naïve look at the world, Eat, Sleep, Repeat is a sign of the band’s maturity as a whole.
The lyrics are not the only portion that has matured though, as the music itself has undergone significant changes. The album might not include the raw energy and emotion that Medicine Tree contained, but their sometimes simplistic approach with the instruments is a major step forward from the hard-rocking yet overall too similar In Motion album. This is most prominent in the track “Cover What You Can”, which in my opinion is the most mature song that the band has produced to date with its driving and unrelenting snare drum and guitar picking.
There are a handful of tracks that break away from the traditional Copeland formula. When you hear the 1920′s piano in “Love Affair”, you might have to do a double take like I did to make sure you didn’t accidentally change to a new song. “I’m Safer On An Airplane” also branches off from the mold, but the somewhat simplistic synthesizer effects and lack of actual instruments present a decent track with a shallow musical surface accompanied with rich, meaningful lyrics about the state of the world we live in.
For those that are worried that the entire album is too different than the Copeland we have grown to love, have no fear: At least a couple of the tracks still feature the band’s indie pop roots, most noticeable in the single “Control Freak” which is full of shiny hooks and catchy lyrics, making it one of the most accessible and radio-friendly songs in their growing library.
In an industry where too many bands become complacent and stagnant, Copeland has decided to push themselves to an entirely new level in an attempt to stay at the top of the game. Their new direction may be a bit darker than their previous journeys, but the band’s future has never been brighter. And despite the monotonous implications of its name, this album is anything but repetitive. Regardless if you are a long time Copeland fan or a new listener, you owe it to yourself to at least give Eat, Sleep, Repeat a chance to find its way onto your playlist.