By Jacob Norton-Leake
The newest EP from Catch Your Breath continues to grow their sound, taking more risks with atmosphere, emotion, and even filmic elements without sacrificing the weight that makes them distinctive. It is a much darker, mature record than their previous offerings, finding the perfect balance between explosive choruses and subdued sections that make sure the emotional content of each song truly connects. Without simply falling back on the formulaic tropes of contemporary metalcore bands, Catch Your Breath has found a strong sense of self in their music, one that rings true throughout their latest EP.
“Control” is just the right start to the EP since it encapsulates all of what Catch Your Breath is doing now correctly. “Control” manages tension and release perfectly, starting out slowly with uneasiness and then breaking into a full-on chorus. Lyrically, it’s all about control and manipulation as well as loss of control and not being able to handle your own feelings, something which seems to be a common topic in a lot of their newer songs. Vocally, it’s hard not to admire how Josh Mowery is able to transition easily from vulnerable to aggressive without sounding fake at all.
The tension extends to the track “[Gen]inside,” with Kami Kehoe providing her vocals for the song. The song is notable because of its completely new vibe that comes from the presence of Kehoe and creates a sense of contrast throughout the entirety of the track. As for its theme, “[Gen]inside” touches upon the topic of inherited trauma and damage caused by certain emotions and feelings, thus making the track quite deep and touching to listen to. From the sonic perspective, “[Gen]inside” uses its atmospheric elements to create a haunting vibe rather than a bombastic one.
“Blood Money” changes the tone completely, being more angry than emotional. The guitar riffs are stronger, the rhythm is faster, and Mowery seems truly angry for the entire song. Lyrical wise, the song centres around betrayal and deceit, and a sense of bitterness can be heard throughout the track, adding power to it. Although the song takes a darker turn musically, it doesn’t sacrifice the melody, particularly in the chorus, and prevents it from being just a heavy song.
While “Lost” does not have quite as intense of an atmosphere as its predecessors, it still has the songwriting for the project and may very well be among the best tracks on the EP. The track explores the feeling of loneliness after being broken, employing wide-sounding production and subdued verses to create a sense of loneliness and emotional depletion. Despite how big the chorus is, there is never anything overblown or over-the-top about “Lost.” Catch Your Breath has always had excellent skills when it comes to crafting catchy choruses, but this song manages to sound both refined and restrained in comparison to some of the others on the EP.
In conclusion, “Dark” rounds out this series of songs with a feeling of oppression and emotional distress. Once again, it relies on atmosphere more than anything else, employing haunting production as well as lyrics which revolve around being possessed by one’s inner demons and being driven to self-destruction. This is one of the most atmospheric songs in the band’s catalogue, focusing more on creating tension and building up emotions rather than being heavy in itself.
When combined, the songs seem to present Catch Your Breath developing into something greater than their initial viral popularity. Every song takes on an individual emotion while simultaneously adding to the overall theme of vulnerability and frustration. The end product, then, seems like a coherent and immersive group of songs that are far more polished and confident than previous works from the band. I’m excited to see the full release of the album in August.
