The Howl & The Hum returns with Same Mistake Twice. The new album comes four years after debut Human Contact and marks a huge shift for the project. It details the tumultuous time Sam Griffiths has had over the last few years. From the breakup of his band to the ever-vivid global pandemic, the album sees Sam step into the light as a solo artist and documents the thoughts and anxieties that came from those heavy moments. Telling it in a way that’s brutal but so accessible; becoming one of the most honest, vulnerable records of the year.
Kicking things off in a big way is the title track. Filling the room with booming horns and impactful percussion, the song does a fantastic job at setting the tone of the record. It has an acceptance of sadness but performs in a way that’s joyous. Almost like it’s allows that sadness to just exist for a little while. The references to how you can always start from a checkpoint in video games keeps things grounded, even when the instrumentation reaches its most ambitious moments. It leads nicely into “Dirt”, which sees Sam continue to deliver lines that could appeal to everybody. Breakups are hard, but genuinely, who does get the Netflix now? Pairing whimsical thoughts like those against “I wonder who writes our history/And how do we decide what the future was?” makes everything feel so relatable.
This profound songwriting lasts throughout the album. “All Your Friends Hate Me” swoons with its Country-style sound, that could easily fit the vibe of any time of day but features lyricism that bares its teeth. Having the same level of grit that rocks the core of “No One Has To Know”, while also holding a conversation of what it’s like dealing with anxiety.
It’s like nothing’s off the table on Same Mistake Twice. It’s emotive, sombre, powerful all at once, but also comes with levity. “No Calories In Cocaine” is a brilliant shift in tone, as Sam pairs an honest account of substance abuse with humour. Pairing more of the brutality with insane levels of attempting rationality. With its anthemic close, it becomes a real standout track.
Same Mistake Twice is a fantastic album. It’s one that soundtracks the falling temperatures and decreasing level of light perfectly. An album you could put on at any time and it wouldn’t feel out of place. Instrumentally it ranges between warm and catchy, and dark and gritty, while embracing the emotions that bleed out of the lyricism. Lyrically, I can’t think of an album that’s as honest as this. Everything is told as it is. Flaws an’ all. It is brutal. It is great.