Detroit-based band Mental Health Day crafts an engagingly introspective rock sound throughout their third album, Altruistic. With previous albums You Could Be Anywhere (2016) and Iterations (2019), the band captured themes of personal upheaval and steady self-reinvention — from divorce and career shifts to the quiet resilience of starting over. Now, with Altruistic, that same reflective lens turns sharper, conveying the tension between people-pleasing instincts and the simmering frustration of navigating a world full of hollow gestures and emotional fatigue. The melodic rock productions pair with relatable lyricism, indicative of the band’s “thinking about thinking” tendencies — shown in their namesake.
Altruistic was written over the past six years, which saw a variety of personal events for the band members — including two marriages, one divorce, and career changes. These more intimate experiences came alongside general worldly strife, in the pandemic and continued political unrest. As a result, the album feels especially reflective of these trying times, recounting those periods while observing society as a whole. Aptly, opener “Get Along to Go Along” plays like a twangy meditation on how to cope through these shifts. Jangling guitars and solemn organs infuse alongside lyrical output of “a world that’s gone away” — as people communicate less, and feel more at odds. The melodic vocals and power-pop/psych infusions remind fondly of Matthew Sweet.
Ensuing track “Good Things” exudes a more optimistic rock briskness, admitting “I’ve never had much luck” and ensuing desires for a “healthy place” with bluer skies. The shifts between acoustic-set energy and soaring rock energy make for a momentum-filled sound, while the vocals emit an enjoyable sincerity in “fighting fear with grace” as one tackles life’s daily obstacles. The piano-laden rock heights of “The Scenery” is another standout, maneuvering from prancing keys into theatrical doses of guitar. “Get out of my head, because I never asked for any of this,” the vocals emerge, expressing internal struggles though also a perseverance to come out strong; the dramatic rock aesthetic beautifully bolsters this heart-on-sleeve vocal prowess, imploring “don’t let me go” with palpable yearning as atmospheric pianos glide into a sating conclusion.
“The World to Come” continues the strong songwriting, expressing vulnerability in its “never thought I’d be the villain of the tale” contemplation and examination of roles pushed onto people within society. Solemn acoustics develop into debonair guitar tones and effervescent keys, while hypnotic vocals fade out with enduring impact. The following “Thoughts and Prayers” is another riveting thematic unveiling, ruminating on empty gestures that value performative platitudes over actual effects. The hubris-centric introspections — singing wryly “never mind the suffering” until it happens to you — combine with another magnetic rock production. Altruistic is a thoroughly enveloping success from Mental Health Day, resonating with a memorably melodic rock and poignant thematic emphasis on personal and societal frustrations.
