When I first listened to this album I thought it had a very early 2000s alternative sound with its more harsh vibe and tone. The album was released in 2014 by Dan Campbell who is the lead singer for the Pop Punk band The Wonder Years. Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties is to be considered Dan Campbell’s solo project in which he goes into detail about the worst year of his life. The album was inspired by three tragic events of death and divorce that Campbell had to go through the previous year. I believe that this album really allowed him to tap into his emotions and grow as an artist, with it being some of his passionate work and sharing with the listener that it’s okay to be vulnerable.

One of my favorite songs is Our Apartment, in which he talks about the grieving process and how he can barely stay at their apartment now that she has left him. It’s a wonderful song full of his raw emotions toward the subject of divorce which is so common today.  Divorce in the American South is presented as though he is leaving a message for to his wife mid-divorce and is telling her about his own mistakes in the relationship and addressing the topic of divorce and miscarriage. The album stands out on its own as a raw interpretation of emotions and vulnerability, which allows Campbell to connect with his audience on a more personal scale. The album consists of 9 original pieces and one cover song: Going to Georgia. Campbell told his fans that he added the cover not because it continued the story but because he simply liked it. 

Song list:

1. Our Apartment
2. Grapefruit
3. St. Joe Keep Us Safe
4. Runnin’ Scared
5. Divorce and the American South
6. The Thunderbird Inn
7. Get Me Out Of Here Alive
8. You Ain’t No Saint
9. Carolina Coast
10. Going to Georgia

Album Review by Jada Hamby