Scott McCloud didn’t intend for his solo debut to be a literal conversation with his past, but Make It to Forever gains another layer of poignancy from its backstory. The Girls Against Boys lead singer recorded the songs on his solo debut a decade ago. The goal was to capture the feeling of the stripped-down acoustic shows McCloud has been playing all over Europe for the past several years. They remained untouched until he decided to give them another listen, expecting to rework them extensively. Instead, he decided to release them mostly untouched. Now, a record that is concerned with memory and the conversations we have with ourselves has another layer of meaning.
Girls Against Boys remain an essential band of the 1990s because they are the missing link between The Fall and the explosion of dance-tinged rock in the early 2000s. Their songs are all swagger and confidence, late-night tales told through the images and conversation slivers singer McCloud saw and overheard. Many of their best tracks played like art films, chopped-up experiences that are heavy on mood and atmosphere, backed by a propulsive post-punk attack that frequently had the bravado to match the East Coast hip-hop emcees McCloud loves.
Make It to Forever plays like characters from the Girls Against Boys songs reflecting on life now, enjoying the memories, but not mired in the past. Where songs like “Kill the Sexplayer”, “Disco Six Six Six”, or “Basstation” could get the party started, these are best listened to with the lights low. The songs are understated, but not minimalist. Every track has the right amount of grit or polish, depending on its needs. Strings and horns are added judiciously.
The saxophone on “Moonlight Stage Dive” reminds me of another underrated at the time, 1990s great, Morphine. “Abandoned in Flames” and “Skin of My Teeth” illustrate McCloud’s love of classic rock. Still, it’s not hard to imagine the rest of the band imbuing “(I Got) Devotion” with a noisy, slinky swagger.
McCloud’s mesmerizing vocals tie it all together. He’s still got a knack for one-liners and provocative, minimalist imagery, but what takes this record into a new place is his openness and vulnerability on tracks like “Come Around” and the title track. “Hold Me Tight” is about as unguarded as he has ever been, and it is one of the highlights. Singing about the power of music, or a lover, or both, he has never sounded better. The song builds to a lovely string arrangement and a hypnotic guitar, arguably the prettiest moment on the record.
What is impressive is that this really does sound a lot like an acoustic Girls Against Boys record at times, but it’s no retread or victory lap. Fans will fall for it, but it’s such an utterly compelling concept and strong execution that it’s not hard to imagine listeners unfamiliar with Girls Against Boys making a context-free connection. Gen Xers like me are lucky to get a chance to check in with the bands of our youth to discover what they have to say about our life stage now. Make It to Forever is one I know I’ll return to again and again, for nostalgia and for comfort. It plays like having a meaningful conversation with an old friend.