Exes Release Vulnerable New Album, Before You Go

Exes, the indie electronic project of Brooklyn singer-songwriter Allie Mcdonald and Venice beach producer Mike Derenzo, are out with their latest album Before You Go.

The lyrics are consistently personal and intimate, moving well against the soft drum machine music. Opening up with “Index,” the song is composed of a rhythmic, ethereal blend of electronic pangs and fades of ambiguous vocal samples. It sets the tone for an album of soft, dreamy vocals intertwined with ambient music. “Index” does this with its mood, which much of the album goes on to do. The pacing of the chimes and whirring builds and drops in time with each song’s delicate balance of emotional intensity.

The titular song, “Before You Go,” rings in at track number five. A short, repeating keyboard phrase lays the groundwork for a quiet electric guitar and almost muffled, electronic drum beat. The lyrics address a relationship at its end, with one half fighting to continue in hopes of a cathartic escape. Despite the wistful sadness of the song’s subject matter, it does not get dredged down in desperation or even slow it’s pace by any large margin. The music’s tone may be less than ecstatic, but that doesn’t stop the almost chipper beat of electronic bells that populate the entirety of the album.

Mcdonald and Derenzo explain, “As we’re growing, our sound is also maturing. ‘Before You Go’ feels like a great next step for us. We’re still creating music based on our real life struggles, heartbreaks, fears, and joys- but the sounds and the ideas are more unique and explorative. We weren’t afraid to try new things this time around.”

Before You Go wraps up with “Over.” This closing track takes a sobering turn as the lyrics tell the story of hopelessness following a break up. The line “Do you care? Cause my world stopped early June,” sums it up, and gives reason to the song’s one-note sound throughout. Subtle in its emotional shifts, but still intimately personal in all its gentleness, the album makes for a poignant, comforting listen as the fall cold sweeps in.