The music of Berang sounds exactly like his name does. Short, sudden, bursts of unbridled energy that jolt through the senses, and Does It Ever Get Better is the title of Berang’s latest collection of 10 cuts that promise a wealthy share of jolting for the long wintery nights.
The stage name of Belgian singer and songwriter Bert Janssens, Berang is an act that excels in presenting songs that are, at their core, soft and gentle singer-songwriter ballads, yet often given fancy pop punk frocks that make them appear way hairier than they actually are. After a 2-song hectic intro that showcases Berang’s indie punk leanings, Janssens strips everything back right at the middle of the 3rd cut into acoustic warmth and fingerpicking pop intimacy, before jumping right back into manic pop punk again, then back to acoustic balladry again, and so on. Does It Ever Get Better is a rollercoaster that’s accessible, peppy, and quite enjoyable.
Perhaps the most stable thing throughout this whole album would be Berang’s soft and smooth croons. Perhaps the only things that give away the songs’ singer-songwriter heart. And writing about those songs without unconsciously dividing them into folk ballads and indie punk bangers would be very hard, so let’s do that. ‘The Least Fortunate Timeline’ is the album opener. A strong and hectic piece of Blink 182-inspired pop punk that oozes with a menacing energy. With its scruffy guitars and machine gun beats, it is a song that leaves a pretty strong impression. Contrasting the powerful arrangement with Janssens’s soft voice gives a very memorable color palette to the album’s punk songs, and the opener is surely one of them.
‘Specific Ways of Being’ is laden with pop punk melodies that sound timeless, and the vocal charm continues. This time around, Berang showcases his guitar and bass arranging chops, laying more than a few unforgettable hooks and licks over this song’s short and blistering runtime of two and a half minutes. ‘Valere’ might be one of my favorites. With its 1-chord barrage of power chords and chugged riffs, this song starts rather aggressively, then continues to gain momentum until it gets properly noisy and borderline experimental in its latest third, before taking a delightful left turn, letting go of all the anger, and introducing a delightful acoustic guitar outro that ushers in the next couple of cuts rather elegantly. For a 3-minute cut, ‘Valere’ is a cornerstone in the progression of Does It Ever Get Better.
‘Don’t Get Your Soul So Close’ is a short and sweet acoustic ballad that’s melodic and warm and full of pop appeal. A sure welcome moment of respite after all the battering punk in the 3 previous cuts. ‘You’ll Be Alright’ showcases Berang’s fingerstyle skills rather elegantly. A folk cut that’s introspective and quite smartly written, this is one of the album’s most intricate compositions, arranged for a single acoustic guitar and a voice. The album’s title track is a pop punk anthem with unforgettable hooks that are as colorful as they are manic, even though for me personally, it struggles to make a footing for itself in between the intelligent ‘You’ll Be Alright’ and next pair of songs. A more than decent song, placed unfairly in the middle of acoustic stunners that do change the impact of its energetic melodies.
‘Safe And Satisfied’ shines with its hypnotic guitar figure and twinkling piano notes, paving the way for one of the album’s most accessible and melodically outstanding pieces, ‘A Form Of Encouragement’. Dabbling with a melancholic minor chord movement, this cut contrasts the jolly remainder of the album, and with its rich overdriven rhythm guitars, this cut makes a strong stand for itself. Continuing with the same melancholic motif, ‘Fair Winds And Following Seas’ is easily another favorite. With its progressive flow from an acoustic introduction, to a mid power middle section, to a full-machine gun beats second half, this is one of the album’s best written songs and one of its most immersive, with more fantastic tones on that overdriven rhythm guitar.
Closing on another accessible pop rock banger, this time with rocking beats that takes the punk down a notch, ‘Support Of Any Kind’ is a delightful return to base that’s graceful and dignified. An apt closer to a quite fun listen that lasts shorter than it should. Berang’s Does It Ever Get Better is a balanced and composed album that knows very well what it can do, and spends all its time doing just that, to fantastic results.
