It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them! cover

It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them!

Guided by Voices · 2021

41 min · 15 tracks · indie rock · lo-fi

A kaleidoscopic journey through lo-fi melodies and eccentric storytelling wrapped in Guided by Voices' trademark brevity.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • steady mid-tempo storytelling
  • short bursts of creativity
  • kaleidoscopic melodic exploration
  • quirky narratives with charm

Maybe skip if you want

  • prefer longer, drawn-out pieces
  • seek immediate emotional payoff

Where this album fits

Career context
It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them! marks Guided by Voices' return after a brief hiatus following their 2020 album, Surrender Your Poppy Field. At this point, the band had solidified their reputation for prolific output and innovative indie rock, continuing to explore new sonic territories while remaining loyal to their lo-fi roots.
Stylistic neighbors
Pavement· The Mountain Goats· Sebadoh

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Spanish Coin 3:20
  • 2 High in the Rain 3:39
  • 3 Dance of Gurus 2:36
  • 4 Flying Without a License 2:46
  • 5 Psycho House 2:46
  • 6 Maintenance Man of the Haunted House 2:42
  • 7 I Share a Rhythm 2:02
  • 8 Razor Bug 1:05
  • 9 I Wanna Monkey 2:49
  • 10 Cherub and the Great Child Actor 2:06
  • 11 Black and White Eyes in a Prism 4:38
  • 12 People Need Holes 2:42
  • 13 The Bell Gets Out of the Way 2:26
  • 14 Chain Gang Island 3:51
  • 15 My (Limited) Engagement 2:06

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata