The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me - Brand New

Everyone has one special album, the one album that speaks to them, that feels like it's their thoughts put to music. For me, The Devil & God... is that album.

Due to frontman Jesse Lacey being admitted to hospital, among many other setbacks, Brand New's loyal fanbase have had to wait a long time for this album, but it was most definitely worth the wait. Brand New were once just another Long Island scene band; their first album, Your Favourite Weapon, brimming with teen angst and lust. With Deja Entendu they definitively left high school behind, blending haunting melodies and brutally honest lyrics. Noone ever imagined that Brand New could mature more than they did for Deja Entendu, but this highly anticipated third album proved us all wrong.

The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me does exactly what it says on the tin. Packed with references as diverse as the Bible and the Godfather, the album sees Jesse grappling with the big issues - morality, mortality and whether we really are all alone in the world. He questions the power and corruption of religion, with songs like The Archers Bows Have Broken, criticising the hypocrisy of the Bible Belt ("Beating with a book everyone the book tells you to love"), while at the same time praying that there is someone out there to look after him. Yet despite the great philosophical issues raised by the lyrics, they still feel so personally relevant. There are many fans who believe that the songs are about love and relationship problems, and that's the beauty of the lyrics - you can interpret them however you want to. "I will die all alone", could just as easily be depression after being dumped or realising that God isn't watching over you after all. The most moving song on the album is Limousine. Although it tells the tragic story of seven-year-old Katie Flynn, killed by a drunk-driver on the day of her aunt's wedding, it has a refrain that everyone can identify with: "I love you so much, do me a favour, baby, don't reply, 'cause I can dish it out, but I can't take it".

The real strength of The Devil... however, isn't its lyrics, but the music. There's just something about it that stirs every emotion. Heartbreakingly beautiful moments are followed by a cacophony that makes you believe the Devil & God really are at war somewhere deep inside your brain. If you listen to the beginning of You Won't Know enough, you will start to think that you really are completely alone in the world, have Welcome To Bangkok on repeat for too long and you will slowly feel yourself going insane. The band have clearly been practicing in their absence, as their voices and playing have never sounded better.

Brand New have always stood out from the crowd with their intelligent lyrics and stirring music, but with this album they have entered a league of their own. A powerful, captivating, essential album.