Album Review: We Three’s Dear Paranoia, Sincerely, Me

You might remember these three siblings from Season 13 of America’s Got Talent. Joshua, Bethany, and Manny Humlie brought the entire house, several of the judges, and yours truly to tears with their stunning original song, and tribute to their late mother, “Heaven’s Not Too Far.” We Three, as they are aptly called, showed off their skills as a songwriting force of talented multi-instrumentalists throughout the entire season, earning themselves a spot in the semifinals.

Now, for some aspiring musicians, that would have been the end of the story. Not for We Three! With the release of their latest album, Dear Paranoia, Sincerely, Me, they not only find a way to build upon the songwriting and musicianship of their past releases, they also prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are here to stay!

Song 3, the incredibly infectious “i wanna love somebody,” is one of the highlights of the record. Manny’s guitar riffs and flawlessly executed modern pop vocals weave in and out of the effortlessly danceable groove played by drummer Joshua and bassist/harmonizing vocalist Bethany. I love the juxtaposition of the catchy upbeat track, complete with all of the modern alt-pop fixings, with the really dark lyrics about how it feels when the one you love up and leaves:

I opened my mouth, and you shut me down, you said you were leaving
Two and two, you’re an ass, see I can do math, it’s not appealing
Didn’t think this would last, no longer than that, you need your sleeping

I think I’m gonna die alone
All I get to wear is funeral clothes
Watch me while I decompose
It’s sad but true, you know I’m gonna die alone

A super-entertaining music video for the song can be found here. I highly recommend a watch.

Another highlight on the new record is song 7, “couch.” Something really relaxing about the combination of Manny’s vocals and the song’s arrangement paints a vivid picture of just wanting to stay at home with your OTP [one true pairing]. Again, the siblings prove their musical chops and songwriting abilities, mixing the familiar elements of their genre with a very refreshing story and lyrics:

‘Cause I’m here and you’re there
Breathin’ in my air
Feel it stop, skip a beat
I might need health care
On this couch, in my tee
You’re wearin’ my sweatpants
Without a doubt, not goin’ out
Let’s stay on the couch

I love that We Three structured their album like a live show. The album seems to end with song 12 (“OVERDOSE”). But then it’s as if they come back on stage for an encore with “(Intro)” and three additional tracks, one of which is another personal favorite on the album: “i wrote this song in your lap.” This love story reminisces about a cherished moment between two people sitting in the back of a van. My favorite thing about this song is the lo-fi production. The vocals sound like they were recorded on an iPhone in a really echoey space, and the instrumentation is much more acoustic than the rest of the album. You get the impression they recorded the song in the “second row back” mentioned in the lyrics. It’s a very meta moment of storytelling that touches every aspect of the song from the story up. Very cool stuff!

We Three are creative, innovative, and technically on point with this release. I highly recommend you take a listen.

---

About the Pop Culturalist Contributor, Josh
Josh Taerk is a Billboard-charting singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and entrepreneur who loves storytelling in all its forms. When Taerk is off the road, he enjoys finding the best pizza and wings, binge-watching shows like The Witcher, and reading anything by Christopher Moore.