Incremental progress. Monumental setbacks. Small victories. This is the story of American Opera. More than a record, Small Victories is a collection of moments, both devastating and victorious. Ominous nostalgia confronts hopeful reemergence. Sonically, think Manchester Orchestra meets Langhorne Slim — polished stones in a bed of gravel and grit. The result is a stunning eleven-song rollercoaster exploring a complete spectrum of emotion and experiences. It is an album of dynamics — a perfect balance of the fragile and explosive. By the end, we’re reminded that sometimes the small victories were all that mattered in the first place — and that the silver linings were not just that after all, but rather small glimpses of a larger hope that can sustain us through even the most miserable of seas.