Uniform’s album, American Standard, doesn’t just start; it erupts. Vocalist Michael Berdan’s opening scream, “A part of me, but it can’t be me. Oh God, it can’t,” is a jarring plunge into the album’s core. This primal scream isn’t just for shock value; it’s an admission, a raw unveiling of the pain intertwined with bulimia nervosa. This sickness, both physically and psychologically consuming, becomes the genesis of a profound sonic and lyrical exploration.
With American Standard, Uniform meticulously peels back layers, each track revealing a deeper narrative than the last. The lyrics burrow into the innermost recesses of the self, exposing the vulnerable human spirit crushed under the weight of illness. To dissect this intricate narrative of eating disorders, self-loathing, delusion, mania, and eventual self-discovery, Berdan collaborated with literary outsiders B.R. Yeager, author of the cult novel Negative Space, and Maggie Siebert, the visionary behind the body horror masterpiece Bonding. Together, these writers dissect personal experiences, presenting a terrifyingly vivid portrait of mental and physical illness that rivals anything in contemporary art. The album becomes an acute articulation of a state beyond mere suffering, capturing the unsettling transcendence and warped sense of liberation that sickness can paradoxically offer.
Musically, American Standard is undeniably Uniform’s most realized and confident work to date. Tracks unfold in spiraling structures, exploding with intensity. Musical motifs emerge and then recede into the background, only to resurface with renewed force. Genres collide and fracture, forging something distinctly original and unsettlingly new. The album’s grandeur is amplified by the addition of Interpol bassist Brad Truax, alongside the rhythmic drive of returning drummer Michael Sharp and the recorded debut of longtime touring drummer Michael Blume. However, the album’s magnificence truly stems from the expansive and potent arrangements crafted by guitarist and founder Ben Greenberg. His compositions elegantly mirror the intense and deeply personal lyrical subject matter, creating a cohesive and overwhelming experience.
American Standard by Uniform is unequivocally a work of art. It is agonizingly honest, relentlessly pursuing sonic transcendence. It is, in turns, hideous and beautiful. Ultimately, it is a necessary exploration of the darker corners of the human condition, delivered through the lens of Uniform American Standard of sonic intensity and lyrical vulnerability that defines Uniform’s unique artistic vision.
