Movements Continue To Refine Their Signature Sound With ‘Happier Now’

California-based emo staples Movements have returned with their fourth studio album, with ‘Happier Now’. This marks their first full release since 2023’s ‘RUCKUS!’. It dives into a lot of what makes this band so special throughout their career, but in their most refined way. There feels like there’s something for everyone when it comes to being a fan of the band on this record.

At the top, I gotta say the production on this record is top notch and what you’d want from an emo record. It’s crisp and clean, and doesn’t lose any of the atmosphere the songs present. The band jumps into familiar territory with tracks like “Dissolve Me”, “Fragile Hands”, and “Separate”. They give a comforting sense of knowing this band still is in their bag with writing big songs that feel key to their identity. They’ve also got classic feeling tracks like the title track and “Ill at Ease”, which feel more coded to the songs I usually enjoy from this band. The melodies feel top notch when it comes to those songs too, and feels like they haven’t lost a step with songwriting. Speaking of, the songwriting by vocalist Pat Miranda once again feels genuine and honest. He’s always felt that way, but it continues to be one of their strong suits on this record especially.

Pat does a great job on this whole album, showing why he has such range and subtlety as a vocalist. He can push high in range, but knows when to be on the more chill side when the song calls for it. Bassist Austin Cressey does a marvelous task in having the bass feel ever so present, and haunting on this record. On tracks that feel gritty like “Live by the Sword” or “Back In My Ways”, the bass feels so front and center and it’s awesome to see. Drummer Spencer York also continues to be one of the most underrated amongst this scene, and his parts still feel so well thought out and seamless to these songs. Guitarist Ira George also delivers such clean and atmospheric guitar parts throughout this album, and it also feels like a character on these tracks. 

All in all, I think ‘Happier Now’ feels like an extremely solid addition to Movements’ discography. They fine tune what already makes them so special, and continue to deliver on those things in songs that feel haunting and catchy. This album is a good reason why they’re still one of the big driving forces of the emo genre to this day.