Mindrace's debut album is so exciting to me.
I rarely indulge in searching out nostalgia, so when the heartfelt passion of the vocals, the raw distortion in the production, and the breakdowns hit I was sent back to '04 in such a fond way because it isn't another band from that era trying to recapture the feelings they had in their twenties. It was fresh and new, and it's all composed by one person Scott Liyang Wu.
The lyrics discuss the feeling of having a better future presented to you and having it ripped away, and having to overcome the urge to fruitlessly chase a future that never will be, and charging towards a new dawn. There's a lot of introspection that doesn't become navel gazing, having the songs not be in typical verse chorus verse greatly creates a natural narrative throughout.
It just encapsulates how a lot of people I've seen are feeling right now working towards a better future.
For fans of 00's Hardcore, but the album is pay what you want, so grab it and throw it on next time you need to vent.