Every so often a record comes around that has a gravitas to it immediately upon their release; Low Teens, I Let It In and It Took Everything, GLOW ON and now Ithaca’s They Fear Us. Since the beginning of its release cycle earlier this year with the debut of its massive title track, Ithaca have gained momentum that caused them to become one of the most talked about band’s in the UK scene alongside Heriot. Laced with exploration of person trauma, patriarchy and healing, within its nine tracks it takes listeners on a journey. Guitarist Sam Chetan-Welsh explains the themes, “ranging from the album being an overall critique of male power/structures, and how male violence has damaged all of us in individual ways, to ultimately how the album ends, which is offering a ‘you know what, it’s possible for you to heal from your trauma.'”
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In an age where hope is difficult to come by, They Fear Us offers up a narrative that, despite what the outer world may tell us, there is potential to come out the other side. “If you seek that healing, you’ll have the internal infrastructure to be able to stand in this power and that is an act of rebellion to the structure of male power. If They Fear Us had a concept, it’s that really.” It’s a compact and powerful record that sees Ithaca become a beacon for these values in the scene in a way that we’ve perhaps not seen communicated before.
This sits alongside a new aesthetic, look and feel to the group. “The image on the cover feels really how we feel now, as opposed to how felt at the start of writing the album. Everything fits together with taking those pictures, just having come out the studio and it really started to coalesce at the right time. On the one hand we were holding onto emotional stuff, on the other there’s the optimism that we’re sitting in now. The here we go, standing and strength, which is exciting.” This too has been taken to a live setting, with their recent live shows containing sets of arches of flowers and bouquets across the stage.
Their recent tour, which has seen them travel across the country with Pupil Slicer and with local supports such as Forlorn and Lure In, has shown Ithaca are just as powerful in a live setting as they are on record, with Sam declaring during their London show, “It may not feel like we’re winning, but we are. And this show is proof of that.” Shows are becoming increasingly more diverse, with the boy-band era of metalcore and its aligning genres slowly withering out. Ithaca plan on being at the forefront of this change, and showing how it will benefit the scene: “What I’m excited and really optimistic about is that if we get better representation, which we are getting now, then more people will come to shows and your venues will stop closing, your labels will stop folding, and you will stop being slaves to algorithms.” Ithaca sit alongside many bands growing in the genre that will see a richer, varied and stronger scene if embraced.
The flipside to this is the regression of the genre, which can already be seen in certain aspects. Scenes such as pop-punk have all shown too well how heydays can come and go due to a lack of diversity in thought and representation. Metal as a whole seems to currently be staving off such a fate. For now. “I do think that’s because there’s more women and people of colour involved or there’s just different voices from people who come from different places or who want to give it a go. The imperative there is to keep going and keep pushing those doors down and ensure the art is enriched.“
Ultimately, if Ithaca and their values teach us anything, it is that by opening the scene up to a wider audience and artists who want to give it a go, we will be far better off for it. In their own words: “You do not get a Zeal & Ardor, a Zulu or a Soul Glo if you sit on your hands, you have to be proactive. It’s our loss and nobody’s gain.” Whether or not metalcore and hardcore reaches a commercialised and bland fate that other genres have seen is down to those who follow it. There is ample opportunity, perhaps even a necessity, to support many bands such as Ithaca, Svalbard, Heriot, Nightlife, as well as many more whose potential to thrive and lead will show a potential that we didn’t know could exist.