“You Know What They Mean” by Bent Knee – Review

“You Know What They Mean” – Bent Knee
8.3/10 | Art Rock

How do you follow up a masterpiece? It’s an incredibly difficult thing to do, and many bands become victims of their own success. Much like many other conventions though, Bent Knee shatters this idea with another solid showing.

Bent Knee is an incredibly unique band that are truly one of the finest acts around right now. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are easy to get into, however. The first time I heard Land Animal, it just didn’t click with me. When it finally did, it became a staple of my average listening. I really like You Know What They Mean already, and I can already tell that my appreciation of it will only increase with time. The album starts off strong with the double tap of fantastic rocker “Bone Rage” and swaggering “Give Us The Gold” and maintains the energy throughout the entire 52 minute run time, spanning sludge and sheen, crunch and clean, and everything else in between.

I have found Bent Knee to be an extremely difficult band to describe. I’ve also noticed that people I share them with either love their music or are put off by the weight and variety. Based on these facts, I have only two conclusions:

If you like Bent Knee, you will love this album

If you are unfamiliar with Bent Knee, then you should absolutely listen to them

Do I think that You Know What They Mean is as good as Land Animal? Right now, probably not. It is a worthy follow up and a great album in its own right, but it currently doesn’t make me as excited for the small moments in each song. After I’ve had a month with it, though? At the end of the day this is another strong album from a brilliant band.