Capstan, hailing from Ontario, Florida, have spent the bulk of the pandemic creating their 2nd full length album, Separate. The band has stated that “they went into the studio with producer Machine (Lamb of God, Fall Out Boy) with one goal in mind: To make a record with no filler and all bangers.” The question is: did they succeed at that?
Capstan are a group that I’ve always enjoyed. Their mix of post-hardcore, pop-punk, and traces of metalcore were appealing as a fan of all three genres. However, the wide array of EPs, as well as the band’s first full length album, Restless Heart, Keep Running, never truly stuck for me. I’m glad to say that changed with Separate, for the most part.
The album opens with a southern metalcore styled beefy riff, which is immediately engaging. The rest of the instrumental is more in the vein of Pierce the Veil, and it doesn’t deviate much once that gets going. “pretext” is heavily aided by a huge chorus since the riffage occupies a space to carry the vocals, instead of demanding attention itself. It doesn’t end up being a favorite of mine. In fact, I wonder if a different track could’ve served better as an intro, perhaps “abandon”, or the next song even, “shades of us.”
“shades of us” is an obviously personal song which is a boon. But, so are the multiple components of it. It has moments of head banging heaviness, where those passages are accented with nice guitar licks. It has trap styled verses and a super catchy chorus too. The metaphor lent to the song’s title is also effective at keeping a consistent message throughout the track. This happens to be the first song I heard from this record, and it immediately reinvigorated my enjoyment of the band. Not to mention Andrew “Boz” Bozymowski’s chunky bass laid on this one; it’s a complete track and worthy of its music video accompanied, single status.
The bass driven intro of “take my breath away // noose” is a welcome change of pace from the blistering previous two tracks. This song screams two things – Panic! At the Disco, and pop-punk. The influenced listed formerly is littered all over the verses, while the pop-punk chorus barges in when needed. This style of track lets vocalist Anthony DeMario do his thing in a really effective way too.
“alone” is a fairly recent single, and it sports a feature from the legendary Shane Todd (Silverstein). I don’t think anyone can deny that he fits like a glove on this song. That’s partly because Capstan graciously set the song up like a Silverstein track, but it has their flavor on it, of course. More importantly, Shane Todd is really allowed to let go on this, more than a normal feature seems to. It’s multifaceted with the vocal styles delivered, to the point where it’s a more compelling performance than some Silverstein tracks themselves. He goes through levels of melodic, heavy, poppy, all of it.
Next is a palate cleanser and a great change of pace in “blurred around the edge”. It is soft and subdued with a saxophone arrangement thanks to featured Saxl Rose. Sonically, the song has a more upbeat sound than the lyrics would give away, and the juxtaposition is palpable. The sentiment to the track is mature though, and delivered well. Lastly, the climax of the track is a satisfying payoff.
Compared to the varied sounds and emotional throughputs on the first half of the album, a handful of tracks on the second half fail to feel as grand. Starting that off is “tongue-biter”, where the post-hardcore riffage and progressive accents that have been present so much on the album feels less fleshed out here. This also feels like a track where Shane Todd would’ve once again fit right in, so it ends up being like a worse “alone” for me. Which is funny, considering “I know I’m not alone” is a lyric on “tongue-biter”.
Similarly, “shattered glass” is another track driven by those post-hardcore guitars and a fair share of progressive licks. It’s a little better, as there is a key change or two present, and the delivery of the chords is an odd rhythm. But still, these tracks feel middling compared to some of the larger sounding ones. Thus, unfortunately, the goal of “no filler, all bangers” was not completely achieved, in my eyes.
“abandon” is different, however. It opens with somber keys and a synth lead where drums and DeMario’s vocals are slowly introduced and ramped. The vocal delivery is the slowest and most methodical so far here, and it is more than fruitful. The intro explodes into a near bass drop, which is a staple for the band when incorporating metalcore elements. It’s the main appeal of this song for me, though it’s great overall, too. Comparing “abandon” to the more lackluster tracks along each side of it in the track listing really drives the point home, I think.
“sway” is a sweet track, to say the least. I enjoy loads of soft music, but I’m not the biggest fan of metal adjacent projects having acoustic tracks. That being said, this one is beautiful. The acoustic guitar playing is equally upbeat as it is somber. The female feature from Charlene Joan might actually be the best vocal performance on the entire album. She nails it, and I need to listen to her as much as I do Separate. The duet really gives a romantic feeling, too, which I find impressive.
Capstan then decides to go heavy to close out the project. “decline” is a good closer, just that. It incorporates a lot of what made the album a fun listen – proggy and rhythmic instrumentals and compelling vocal performances, but this time with a touch of finality, thus, a good closer. It is set apart, though; there are two instrumental breaks in the song, where the guitar sounds a bit distorted, and the rhythm of the pseudo breakdowns are both dreamy and heavy. This part of their sound is one I hope they expand upon because it was among the more interesting bits on the entire album and only flexed here.
Separate is sure to be a hit this summer as -core loving kids across the globe jam this well varied album filled to the brim with fun. It has its middling points, and the instrumental ideas presented are not entirely unique, but instead of breaking the mold, Capstan are refining their brand of it. That makes the band worth keeping and eye on, and Separate worth spinning. Separate is available this Friday, July 23 via Fearless Records, and you can pre-order the record here.
7/10