I’ve been sitting with Goodbye To All That for a while now, and it’s one of those albums that slowly gets under your skin rather than trying to grab you straight away. From the first track, “The Beating of the Drum,” it’s clear Mark Vennis isn’t interested in romance or nostalgia. The song feels heavy and purposeful, like history marching past whether you like it or not. “This Nation’s Ghosts” carries that feeling forward, sounding uneasy and reflective, as if it’s trying to make sense of what we’ve inherited rather than celebrate it.
What I really like about this album is how the bigger ideas are grounded in human stories. “Empire Road” and “All Points South” feel lived in, focusing on ordinary people caught up in the machinery of empire. The title track, “Goodbye to All of That,” is one of the emotional anchors of the record for me. It’s restrained, almost weary, and that makes it hit harder. There’s no big chorus demanding attention, just a sense of loss, regret and unresolved history.
As the album moves on, the mood darkens. “The Trader” is cold and uncomfortable in the best way, while “An English Tragedy” feels quietly devastating. “Just Another Campaign” sounds tired of the same old cycles repeating themselves, and that exhaustion feels intentional. Musically, the mix of folk, blues, punk and rock never feels forced. It sounds like a band that knows exactly who they are and isn’t trying to impress anyone.
By the time “Golden Country” gives way to “Requiem,” I felt like I’d been taken on a long, thoughtful journey rather than just listened to a collection of songs. Goodbye To All That doesn’t shout its politics, but it doesn’t hide them either. It’s reflective, critical and deeply human, an album that asks you to think about where we’ve come from and whether we’ve really moved on at all.
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English