Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties: We Don't Have Each Other

Artist: Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties
Title: We Don't Have Each Other
Format Reviewed: Stream
Format Released: 7th July 2014
Reviewed By: Katherine Tapp

When writing a novel, authors will delve into every detail about their characters in order to understand them better. The Wonder Years' frontman, Dan 'Soupy' Campbell, has used the same process, but instead to create an album. The album, We Don't Have Each Other, was released though his side project Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties. It follows the character Aaron West during the worst year of his life, speaking of his break-up, losing a baby, the death of his father, and how all this affects him. It takes you on a brilliant, if bleak, journey that'll make it hard to believe it's all a piece of fiction.

The album begins with the track Our Apartment, introducing us to Aaron West's break-up as he reads the note his partner left, taking us through the range of emotions he experiences due to this. Moving on to Grapefruit we find out their relationship began to show strain after his father died, but his partner's pregnancy gave them hope that things would get better. We are then taken on a journey to Georgia with Aaron, who hopes he'll be happier there, but he speaks of being homesick and missing his ex-partner Dianne. In Divorce and the American South we find out that the couple lost their baby through the lyrics "It's just when we lost the baby / I kind of shut off". As the album progresses the character turns to alcohol, which then causes him to experience health problems. As he makes a blanket from his coat he thinks to himself "If my dad was here I wonder if he'd even recognize me." There is a lot of depth to the character which is explored throughout the tracks, that can only be appreciated when the album is listened to as a whole.

Musically, there isn't a lot of range to the album and it can get a little repetitive. This doesn't matter so much as the clever lyrics and strong character development are the factors that make it worth listening to. You'll find yourself being taken on the same emotional rollercoaster Aaron West is experiencing, and you can't help but feel sorry for him. This album adds to Dan Campbell's reputation as a very skilful writer.

Overall, if you're a fan of The Wonder Years and you're happy to listen to a bit of acoustic-rock, then you will enjoy this album. Just make sure you set aside enough time to listen to the album in full in order to appreciate the story and lyrical content.