Nap Eyes made a big swing on Snapshot of a Beginner, and mostly landed it. The band moves past the lo-fi bedroom sound of their early records toward fuller arrangements, bigger production, and sharper hooks, and the record’s eleven tracks trace a band trying to grow while still being stuck inside itself.
So Tired Through Primordial Soup
The album opens with “So Tired,” a gentle opener that sets the tone before “Primordial Soup” picks the pace back up with a sharper, more urgent riff. “Even Though I Can’t Read Your Mind” and “Mark Zuckerberg” sit back-to-back, the latter earning real attention for its direct address of the man himself, though the lyrics land more as a joke than a statement.
“Is Mark Zuckerberg a ghost? Maybe, maybe/Where are his hands? And why don’t you ever see them in public?”
Mystery Calling Through Real Thoughts
“Mystery Calling” and “Fool Thinking Ways” pass by without leaving much of a mark, competent but unremarkable in a record full of stronger material. “If You Were In Prison” is a standout, built around a sharp, insistent rhythm that shows the band can still write a hook even when the arrangements get heavier. “Real Thoughts” closes this stretch with a return to a more direct, conversational mode, though it doesn’t quite match the peaks around it.
Dark Link Through Though I Wish I Could
“Dark Link” is the record’s emotional center, a song about isolation and connection that lands harder than almost anything else here. “When I Struck Out On My Own” follows with a quieter, more reflective mood, and “Though I Wish I Could” closes the album on a note of resignation and acceptance that feels earned after everything that came before it.
What Critics Heard
Critics praised the band’s risk-taking and richer arrangements on Snapshot of a Beginner, calling it a bold new era for Nap Eyes despite some self-involved moments. Pitchfork’s review focused on the Zuckerberg song’s ghostly questioning, while AllMusic’s ran with a reading of Nigel’s fear of outside influence. Both readings hold up to the songs themselves.
The Verdict
Nap Eyes took a real risk here, moving away from the sound that made their name and building something stranger, stranger, and stranger, and mostly pulled it off. The weaker tracks don’t sink the record, but they keep it from greatness. This is a bold new era for the band, and it earns a solid 7.6 out of 10.
Key Facts
– Artist: Nap Eyes
– Album: Snapshot of a Beginner
– Tracks: 11
– Metacritic: 76/100
– Pitchfork: 7.4/10
– AllMusic: 6.8/5
- So Tired
- Primordial Soup
- Even Though I Can't Read Your Mind
- Mark Zuckerberg2:46
- Mystery Calling
- Fool Thinking Ways
- If You Were In Prison
- Real Thoughts
- Dark Link
- When I Struck Out On My Own
- Though I Wish I Could
