“And I take a deeper breath and long for the dust to take me home.”
Formed in 2014, idle threat is a rock band hailing from Nashville. Driven by a desire for genuine emotional connection and the struggles of this life, they play a blend of alternative rock, post-hardcore, and post rock. They invoke an impactful, yet comforting feeling, a quality that struck me the first time I heard them on their debut album, blurred visions. The album was a heartfelt expression of struggle and faith that ultimately brought a certain solace. They’ve since spent the past five years meticulously crafting their follow-up, you’ll forget the sun.
With the first single off the album, “evermind”, it felt like we picked up where we’d left off on blurred visions, but with a reinvigorated sense of emotion. The heavy fog of nostalgia the track invokes is reflected in the intentionally hazy production, helmed by Stephen Keech of Haste The Day. The track’s emotive guitar lead lines pair with the fuzzy atmospheres to create something raw, yet familiar. There’s a pensive sense of loss in the lyrics that carries into the instrumentals beautifully. As a first glimpse into the album, it held a lot of promise.
A hallmark of you’ll forget the sun’s sound has always been a pervasive melancholy that stains the canvas of every track present. The best way I can describe it is comforting. There’s just something profoundly comforting about the gentle, ambient tones and intricate guitar lead work. Album opener “passing shadows” ushers in that feeling of longing with its gentle, guitar-led intro. Bassist-vocalist Zeke McKinney and guitarist-vocalist Ernie Fabian have a certain synergy in their contrasting vocal styles, with McKinney taking on cleans and Fabian laying down more aggressive screamed vocals. The lead work on the track is detailed and accentuates the track with a melodic touch that contributes to its emotion. Even in the melancholy, there’s a certain sense of optimism in the lyrics, looking back toward a greater hope despite the burdens of this life.
The band’s post-hardcore leanings give a more aggressive edge to the album at points, providing variety to the record while still keeping its core sound. “in tandem” begins on an impressively intricate set of melodic hardcore-leaning leads. There’s a certain sense of desperation as the lyrics reflect on wandering through the wilderness while still choosing to push forward. Keech makes an appearance as a vocal feature, with his iconic vocals forming the buildup into the track’s breakdown. Even with the added aggression, there’s still a certain sense of relatability to the song. The gritty production serves this facet of idle threat’s sound well as it helps to convey the song’s raw emotion.
This melodic hardcore direction is also present on “wither without”, with its intro charged with a frantic set of riffs from Fabian and matching drum work from Justin Jones. Fabian and McKinney both deliver harsh vocals in this intro, the former utilizing his more chaotic and abrasive vocal style to contrast with McKinney’s more melodic screams. There’s blend between the band’s styles here as the track takes a subtler turn after the intro, reintroducing the band’s lush, ambient guitar atmospheres. The track picks up in intensity again for its ending stretch, and it climaxes with a feature from Garrett Russell of Silent Planet. His iconic vocals accompany the change in tempo as he pairs with Fabian to deliver the mournful final verse of the track. With its deep reflections on grief, the track’s aggression brings out those intense feelings effectively.
The album’s softer side brings a nice balance to the record and I find them to be moments of introspection and reminiscing. “illuminated days” takes on a more alternative rock direction as it yearns with nostalgia. There’s something undeniably charming about its straightforward approach, delivering a sentimental longing for times that have long passed. The band’s range is undoubtedly impressive as they manage to wear their hearts on their sleeves regardless of what shape or form their sound takes. “sequoia” is perhaps the album’s softest cut, using gentle post-rock textures that invoke a profound wistfulness. McKinney takes the lead vocally, delivering a beautifully emotive performance against the soothing lead lines and ambience. Jones’ drumming here is much more dialled back, but nonetheless impactful. There’s a certain quality to these softer tracks that feels so familiar and reassuring.
The band may have a lot of range, but the approach they take to songwriting also takes a rather no-frills approach. There’s a lot in the way of detailed instrumentals, but they are ultimately presented in a way that is accessible and easy to resonate with. “glow” exemplifies this well. Although quite standard in song structure, its individual elements, from its memorable main riff to the vocalists’ performances that compliment each other, make for a wholly satisfying experience. The track takes a heavier twist in its ending, building in a wall of sound with the guitars that lead to a dissonant breakdown that feels like a natural concluding moment. “lilies & sparrows” is most reminiscent of the sound of blurred visions, with the band’s brand of heaviness on full display. It’s undoubtedly impressive how well Fabian’s gritty and abrasive vocal style fits into idle threat’s sound; he would not be out of place in a metallic hardcore band at all. “lilies & sparrows” plays with its dynamics well, choosing between aggression and softer melodic moments to ultimately convey a message of searching for meaning amidst great weariness.
The album’s penultimate track, “meet me there”, is more than a noteworthy experience. Its poignant synths and clean guitar notes craft a heartfelt soundscape that sees McKinney trading lines with Aaron Stone of iconic Christian rock band My Epic. The track once again leans into more post-rock territory, a slow burn that melds into an eruption of heavy ambience as Fabian delivers the final verse of the track cathartically. I can’t help but notice some influences from My Epic lending themselves to this track with its focus on atmosphere and its use of post-rock textures. “meet me there” is an immersive experience that finds you lost in its soundscapes and mesmerized by its emotions.
The album concludes on its title track. McKinney delivers the chorus melody in an unfiltered manner, obscured by an intentional drowning out of his voice to create for a genuine moment of raw emotion. There’s an atmosphere of questioning and despair, yet trying to find hope amidst it all. McKinney’s impassioned delivery of the chorus is undeniably impactful as it comes in full force. The middle of the track sees Fabian trading lines with Christian Nielsen of melodic hardcore band Meadows. Nielsen’s iconically fervent delivery matches Fabian’s as they go line for line in poignant exchange. The track ends on an extended section of enveloping ambience, bringing the album to a close in emotional release. For all the themes of doubt, loss, and faith explored throughout the album, its title track ties it all together with a message that ultimately points towards hope.
To sum up my thoughts on you’ll forget the sun, I echo my earlier sentiment: the album is profoundly comforting. There’s a certain and distinct expression of emotion on this album that resonates deeply, and few bands truly ever capture this level of relatability. Musically, the band have without a doubt gone a step up from before, with much tighter songwriting and an even clearer grasp on the qualities that made idle threat’s sound. The production on the album is intentionally unpolished in its grittiness, but impressively still refined enough to bring out the emotion of each track. you’ll forget the sun is memorably heartfelt and leaves a lasting impression across its many aspects.
9/10
you’ll forget the sun releases on the 8th of May via Tooth & Nail Records. You can pre-order the album here.