As the season brings us closer to Halloween, Jack Terricloth’s grand voice begins to soar across the wind of the astral plane and rattle through my mind. For me Halloween is inseparable from the World/Inferno Friendship Society, a band who couldn’t better represent Halloween’s flamboyant reverence of the outcast. The band famously celebrated their Hallow’s Eve spirit each year at their Halloween, “Hallowmass,” concert. This was always their most extravagant of performances and the only time in which they performed their tribute song to the Great Pumpkin, “Pumpkin Time.” The cabaret inspired punk rock group carved their name into the streets of New York City in the 2000s, with phenomenal and beloved records such as “Red Eyed Soul” and “Addicted to Bad Ideas,” but in their first album their Halloween spirit shines through most brightly. 

1997’s “The True Story of the Bridgewater Astral League” is a not-so-accurate tale of teenage rebellion, adapted from a musical written by the band’s frontman, Terricloth, inspired by happenings of his youth. Over bouncing horns, jerky piano notes, and stirring chorus vocals the album begins energetically with “A Night In The Woods,” where Terricloth sings of the titular Bridgewater Astral League, a youth led gang blessed with the power of astral projection, whom have little purpose but to cause mischief. Our narrator finds himself fascinated with this group, admitting that “they sometimes scared [him,] but they were so much … fun.” He is drawn in by their unfaltering disregard for the harmony of Bridgewater, never letting their youthful vigor be tamed by societal expectations of professionalism. In the springy “Lust For Timing” through the perspective of Jon Gilch, the League’s leader, we hear of how the gang was built upon similar frustrations. The members’ boredom with their aimless teenage years activated their desire to be a part of something greater than their petty grumblings about repetitive daily life. Their mischief and theft may not lead them towards any particular goal, but it helps them to escape from this routine, and they find comfort and pride in that. 

When we encounter “One For The Witches,” this theme of pride in non-conformity comes to a climax, as the band sees Gilch’s oddball older sister’s identity questioned by the town’s locals. She laughs at their remarks and sternly affirms herself, unwaveringly claiming to have never cared for what she was “supposed to be” and instead lives like a “walking question mark,” challenging the predominant culture’s expectations of what is morally acceptable or honorable. Gilch describes her as his “good example,” hoping to also exist like this: shamelessly and uncompromisingly, developing newfound meaning to the League’s wild escapades. The album rides out on this newfound confidence, with Terricloth/Gilch singing “I believe in a world of endless possibility” in “Tarot Americaine.” Gilch has found new value in his mischief and the draw he had towards these outcast youths, now seeing himself more as an icon of the underrepresented and out of place. He vows to “blow this [world] away,” showing the unconfident and aimless that there is no need to fit in. 

“The True Story of the Bridgewater Astral League” is an outlandish record with a relatable heart. Balancing quirky and surprising samples of ska, rock, and broadway influences, the album creates a captivating tone that rides the line between strange and familiar. As an adaptation of a longer musical it is evident that sections of the story are missing, but this only adds to the record’s allure. The unpredictable and varied sound of the album perfectly mirrors the instability felt by the juvenile characters who guide it, and Terricloth’s dramatic and emotional voice marvelously provides the energy needed to bring these characters and their frustrations to life. There are certainly cracks in the album’s narrative and sound, but for an album that is so much about the emotional and awkward aches of teenage life it only feels right for them to be there. It’s a must listen from a band whose entire catalog is incredible.