“Just a victim to the system that sheds your blood.”
It’s strange to think just how significant a crop of today’s bands grew up in the MySpace era and beyond. While some aspects and aesthetics of the era are bygone for a reason, as of late it feels as though many artists, new and old, are embracing their roots in an unexpectedly bold way. Bands like Psycho-Frame, Tracheotomy and Tactosa are all passionately leading the charge in reviving MySpace-era deathcore, and what we have here with Harm is a similarly passionate take on the post-hardcore and metalcore sounds of the era.
The album’s overarching sound blends some distinctly ‘00s emo flare with a tinge of both MySpace-era and more modern notions of metalcore sounds. Hilariously, too, the influence of the era seems to seep through to the album’s track naming conventions, which sees each and every cut across a song you can’t feel anymore named something obtuse and longwinded, from opener “when i say it out loud, it all falls apart” all the way to closer “this world is merciless, and it’s also very beautiful”. It’s probably notable that these track titles aren’t quite as tongue-in-cheek as many of the era, but it seems the ethos remains firm.
Aforementioned opener, “when i say it out loud, it all falls apart” kicks off a song you can’t feel anymore in style, with a slowly crescendoing energetic presence building through, with some wonderful synth work and tight drum work slowly ushering their way in throughout. The rich, fragile and sonically sparse nature of the track’s opening minutes is juxtaposed wonderfully by its closing one. After a brief moment of reprieve toward its conclusion, the album’s opening number explodes into a dense, melodic cacophony of emotion, and more aptly sets the tone for the record as a whole, and leaves a lasting impression early on.
We’re immediately hit with a sharp left turn as we enter “You’re Obviously In The Wrong Place”. A far heavier outing from the jump, the delicacy and fragility as seen in the opening track are immediately juxtaposed by sheer fury and aggression. Pacey, driving percussion and angular riffing rear their heads, as well as some truly ferocious screams. As the track’s more melodic sensibilities come to light, the aesthetics of the late MySpace-era begin to take shape in a more clear fashion here. With the vocal melodies and trade-offs between the two vocalists feeling very reminiscent of something like Number[s]-era Woe, Is Me, or perhaps some mid-’00s Underoath at times, it’s here where the album’s core sound is established more concretely.
This aesthetic is carried throughout much of a song you can’t feel anymore’s tracklist. There are moments of equally measured reservedness and ferocity parcelled out through the album’s 39-minute runtime, but it’s in the former of the two that I believe the record truly excels. Mid-album cut and recent single “I Fear That Only My Rage Will Fade Over Time” sees some truly gorgeous vocal harmonies take centre-stage, along with a more overtly shoegaze-esque soundscape in its instrumental. There’s an undeniable richness to the vocal tone on display here, as they daintily soar atop the dense arrangements found on its chorus. Part of me wishes the track’s heavier moments took a back seat here to allow for the melodic elements to shine on their own, but it’s pretty inarguable that the breakdown toward the track’s tail end is hard as nails.
Across the remainder of the album’s tracklist we see further explorations of the sounds already established, with tracks like “I wish you could see yourself the way the rest of the world does” hammering home that ‘00s emo influence home with a track that feels like it’s cut right out of a Warped Tour sampler of the era. A hint of math influences comes through on penultimate cut “Nothing Down There Is What They Say”, too. Swirling, chaotic riffing and push-pull vocal trade-offs make this one of the album’s strongest heavy cuts, and further contains one of the album’s strongest and most energetic choruses.
Between the hilariously long song titles, instrumentals that jump between heavy metalcore and melodic post-hardcore, and the very particular vocal melodies, it’s clear where Harm’s influences lie. a song you can’t feel anymore is, in its purest form, a loveletter and a throwback to mid-to-late MySpace-era alternative music, and it often excels in that field. Where those influences converge with more modern notions of alternative aesthetics, such as the overt shoegaze influence and, at times, more modernised riffwork certainly elevate a song you can’t feel anymore above simply being a product of those influences and nothing more.
I, however, can’t shake the feeling that, while the execution is certainly there, some of these songs would have benefitted from some of the heavier elements taking a back seat. There are some truly breathtaking melodic moments across this record that yearn to be heard, and I believe that’s where Harm excel. With that said, there are plenty of truly great heavy moments on here that feel more than earned, and I believe with some time for refinement and balance, Harm have a future opus on their hands. What they have crafted here in a song you can’t feel anymore is a laudably concise, nostalgic and fun LP chock full of heart and enthusiasm.
8/10
a song you can’t feel anymore is due out this Friday, June 23rd via self-release, and you can pre-save the record here.