"Equus Asinus"

By James Yu April 2, 2025

Nowadays, the world is so focused on reinventing itself that appreciating what came before is considered a backwards-thinking taboo. Sure, innovation is great, but at some point, songs get so experimental that they lose their original value: sounding good. That is why I can appreciate Men I Trust’s “Equus Asinus”; instead of trying to be different and reinvent the wheel, Men I Trust through this production are instead focusing on making simple, relaxed and timeless indie tunes.

This design approach is best illustrated in the melancholy sixth song on the album “The Landkeeper,” which is reminiscent of the band’s previous hit single “Tree Among Shrubs.” “The Landkeeper” maintains a measured rhythm and airy vocals, with many elements of the instrumental borrowed from the aforementioned song. Instead of diving deep into the avant garde of random, grating sounds (such as that of Playboi Carti and other Opium-signed rappers), Men I Trust turn towards mastering the themes and style which they pioneered in prior works.

Embracing the same relaxed themes of “The Landkeeper,” “All My Candles” makes its mark as my favorite song on the album. Its tranquil melody and velveting lyrics pleasantly explore concepts of regret and squandered potential. However, unlike its subject matter, the song makes no waste of its potential, with its striding piano instrumental meshing perfectly with the rest of its ethereal sound.

However, while the album’s calm pace is utilized excellently in several songs, its universal presence on the album detracts from many of the less unique songs, blending them into the rest of the tracks. For instance, “Bethlehem” does not stand out in comparison to the other songs on the album in any way besides the use of pungent synthesizers for the instrumental. Although “Bethlehem” would be a decent one-off single, its inclusion with 13 other similar tracks makes the song bland on a second listen.

Overall, “Equus Asinus”’s uniform serenity is a blessing and a curse; while the songs on their own sound wonderful, when put together, the album runs a bit stale between its strongest singles. Yet, the album’s curse may possess a hidden benefit: since many of the songs mirror each other with slight variations, it allows the listener the freedom to pick which version they enjoy the most and receives the honor of being added to their personal playlists. Indeed, instead of cramming arbitrarily innovative musical experiments down listeners throats and forcing them to accept it, Men I Trust double down on making the music they are already admired for, providing just enough variance in their signature style for the personal delight of fans.

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About the Contributors

James Yu

sports editor

James Yu is a Junior at Leland High School and Page Editor for the Sports Section. He loves listening to music and reviewing the newest releases as Music Columnist. Outside of Journalism, he enjoys debating for the debate team, hanging out with friends, and sleeping.