Evan Weiss is swiftly becoming a force to contend with. Having spent his early years cutting his teeth alongside the emo powerhouses of his hometown Chicago, the supreme songsmith boasts a résumé that reads like a who’s who of the Midwest scene, most recently epitomised by his work in Their / They’re / There alongside Tim Kinsella of Cap’n Jazz/Joan Of Arc fame. However, the cement that holds this convoluted Weiss history together is undoubtedly his somewhat-solo project Into It. Over It.
Curiously often categorised alongside the pop-punk crowd, IIOI owes far more to Death Cab than The Cab, with Weiss’ soft inflection offering the kind of conversational comfort that has epitomised Ben Gibbard’s output over the last 15 years. Indeed, as IIOI’s latest opus ‘Intersections’ shimmers into life with ‘North Side Air’, you would be forgiven for thinking that Weiss’ latest collaboration was with Gibbard and co. The Midwestern influence is undoubtedly equally strong, with IIOI’s sound still firmly rooted in the reverb soaked finger tapping of old-school emo.
That said, it would be churlish to dismiss ‘Intersections’ as the sum of its influences, as the album is quintessential Weiss. IIOI is no stranger to the concept album – previous releases have included compilations consisting of a ‘song a week’ challenge he set himself and a song written about every city he visited on a twelve-date tour – and ‘Intersections’ is no exception. However, initially pencilled in as an exploration of various intersections throughout Weiss’ hometown of Chicago (no, I have no idea how that would have worked either), the album soon morphed into a much more introspective work, ostensibly looking back at key intersections in Weiss’ life and their impact on the man today. This self-reflective transformation grants the album an anecdotal honesty that proves Weiss is leagues ahead of his singer-songwriter contemporaries. “You’re fucking careless, I’m fucking selfish”croons Weiss on ‘A Curse Worth Believing’, and you get the feeling that throughout all the collaborations these are the lines Weiss has kept for himself – wishing to retain full creative control over his innermost ghosts.
A retrospective of the life of Evan Weiss, ‘Intersections’ offers not only an analysis of the past, but a promising look to the future of the Midwest’s most unsung hero and his most precious cargo. Regardless of his scene status or numerous side projects, ‘Intersections’ proves that ultimately, Weiss is as driven by IIOI as IIOI is by Weiss.
TOM CONNICK