Get Fixed

It turns out that if you dont make an album for six years, you might end up with a lot of ideas for songs. That was certainly the case with Tim Kasher and his bandmates in Cursive. After 2012s I Am Gemini, Cursive didnt deliver any fresh music until Vitriola came out in 2018. By that time, they had written enough songs for a double album. But rather than send out a two-disc set, where they felt some of the material might get lost in the shuffle, they opted to split the bounty into two separate releases, and Get Fixed arrived 12 months after Vitriola. Vitriola and Get Fixed certainly work as separate entities, but its not hard to tell that they have a shared ancestry, with Get Fixed possessing a sound and attitude thats much like its sibling. That said, Vitriola was a strong and well-crafted effort that reflected the anger and anxiety thats business as usual in America as the 2010s give way to the 2020s, and the same can be said of its follow-up. Get Fixed pulls no punches as Cursive vent about race and class division (Barricades), dead-end lives in dying communities (Black Hole Town), mass media thats better at suppressing ideas than spreading them (Content Conman), the emotional numbness that comes with the unrelenting spread of authoritarianism (Looks Whats Become of Us), and the grim knowledge that none of us are exempt (Vultures). Cursive are a bit less speedy than they once were, but the gravity and ferocity of their attack is as strong as ever on Get Fixed, and the angular shards of sound and precise volleys of guitar, keyboards, horns, strings, and drums are an ideal complement to the rage and confusion of these songs. And Marigolds isnt cheery in its snapshot of someone watching the last spark of their life slipping away, its also a reminder that there is a genuine compassion and heart behind this albums bilious tone. Get Fixed is another bitter but meaningful State of the Union Address from Cursive, as well as evidence that when the bands creative process shifts into gear, they can deliver both quantity and quality. ~ Mark Deming