Butterfly Garden – This Was Gonna Last – Album/Single Review

Butterfly Garden are a four-piece alt-rock band based in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Remarkably, the genesis of this college-aged group started way back when its members were just eleven years of age, and enrolled together at Lakehouse Music Academy In Asbury Park. It was then that Crosby Collins (guitar/vocals), Kieran Collins (drums), and Lucas Ihnat (guitar/vocals) started performing together – in various band incarnations – honing their skills and developing their synergy, eventually settling on the name Butterfly Garden (after the Dot Hutchinson novel). Matt Banks (bass) joined the group in 2021 and the lineup was complete. Last June the band set about work on their first album, and the result is a collection of nine highly melodic original tunes, together entitled, This Was Gonna Last.

17 is a wonderful blend of soft, melodic parts and angsty, fuzz-driven riffs. The two guitarists work well together, playing off of each other in a really cohesive way. As the title might suggest, it’s a coming-of-age song, dealing with the confusing and conflicting emotions that a young person experiences at that age – a theme that permeates much of the album. The band show off their chops during the outro-section by locking into a 15/8 meter, where they build upon a brilliant, hard-hitting riff.

Mirror to Mirror is, as the band concedes, a personal favorite, and it’s not hard to see why. This high-energy track starts with a super catchy guitar riff that plays through one cycle before a second guitar enters, adding a gorgeous high harmony. The bass and drums emphasize the offbeats, adding a nice syncopation to the riff’s quirky chromaticism. The band tap the brakes at the start of the first verse, dropping into a nice half-time groove for the entry of the vocals. The band add harmonic depth to the song with the use of minor and major seventh chords. The song ends with a face-melting lead guitar shred, with the drums matching the energy by playing a metal-inspired blast beat. Killer!

The band settles into a downtempo groove for Bradley. The song has a distinct grunge influence, thanks to its dissonant and drop-tuned guitar parts. The lyrics deal with the theme of isolation, with the singer trying to appeal to someone who has slipped beyond their reach… “Why won’t you hear me? / You left a pain in my chest / The street is lit dimly / I can’t put my mind at rest / Why won’t you hear me when I call you on the phone?” Butterfly Garden once again show their penchant for unusual time signatures, throwing a wicked 7/8 section into the middle of the song before delivering the final verse.

Tinted Windows introduces a softer side to the group’s songwriting. They strip back the instrumentation to a simple guitar and drum machine format, giving the song an almost neo-soul vibe. The singer seems torn between attachment and indifference, both wanting their lover to stick around for a little while, and longing for the peace that comes with one’s own solitude. The melody is given some weight with the addition of some beautiful vocal harmonies.

This band has no shortage of guitar riffs up their sleeves. Eight bars of melodic, slide-heavy playing introduce Waste of Time before a chugging bassline enters and drives the song forward. The lyric is extremely poetic in this one; the singer has had plenty of time to soak up the details of their surroundings while they wait in vain for their acquaintance to make their presence… “I’m surrounded by crimson evergreen / The channel hiss of the autumn breeze / Comes and goes in waves / Caressing my cheek”. The pre-chorus sees the singer reminisce on the good times that the two shared together, with each lyric echoed by a descending guitar line, delivered to great effect, as a two-part harmony.

This Was Gonna Last is a record that should make people sit up and listen. This is a young New Jersey band whose writing and songcraft shows a sophistication well beyond their years. They groove together incredibly well which reflects the thousand hours of hours they spent jamming together as kids. Butterfly Garden know when to draw attention to the melody, and when to let loose and inject real aggression into their playing, creating a flowing dynamism that takes these songs to a whole other level.

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BELOW: Check out our full artist interview with Butterfly Garden, listen to This Was Gonna Last, and connect with their website and social media platforms, watch their music video, check out their live show/tour schedule, and find their booking & contact information. Please support Butterfly Garden by visiting them online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music, or attending a live show! And, as always, thank you for supporting real music!