Everything I Do Leads To Ruin is a stark departure from the usual dense, instrumental work from Trig Jegman and instead focuses on deep ambience, lonliness, harsh tones, and for the first time, lyrics. Lyrics are scarcely sung, instead being delivered by an old text-to-speech program. Originally a single song (I Am Not Well, Nov 2021), it quickly became clear that one song was not enough to express the needed social and emotional changes going on behind the scenes at the time and so a full concept album was derived.
The immensely personal work was released February 24, 2023 and was the first major work released on streaming services a month later on March 21, 2023. The cover artwork is Trig Jegman, lying on their back with a plague mask on. With latex gloves and dark plague robes, only the crisp outline of the face and plague mask really stand out against the wood flooring of which this was taken.
Not necessarily to be a COVID album, some themes present were definitely reflective of time spent during COVID. That said, this is a retrospective of closer to the years after lockdowns with rampant, unexpected change in regards to personal identity, social standing, physical living location, and how to process all of these changes. Are they for the better? Do they truly make one happy? It's impossible to ever truly know the answers this work poses, but it brings a sort of solemn solace to learning a person's place in life, and to improve.
It was a dark place to be. One that would return, but one wished to be avoided until the end of time. There will always be light at the end of the tunnel.
01 — Out of Service
Pain is never expected.
02 — Year After Year
Pain can be chronic over the span of years.
03 — I Am Not Well
Pain can be invisible to those not willing to perceive it.
04 — A Modest Consideration
Pain is honest.
05 — A Happy Fun Enjoyable Message To Those That Love Themselves
Pain is sometimes your fault.
06 — I Did It Again
Pain does not subsist without change.
07 — Last Song
Pain is not forever.