“I could try to survive, but the pain holds a process.”
The two years since Love Rarely released their debut EP in Lonely People has been one of adventure and progress for the Leeds unit. They’ve performed across the country at the likes of Burn It Down in Torquay, 2000trees in Cheltenham, and Portal Festival in London, alongside supporting The Callous Daoboys, Hail The Sun, Sweet Pill and Cassyette. It’s a journey that’s been difficult not to get caught up in. As with every band that seems to be heading for greater things, being able to see them perform across the country in intimate venues is always a moment to savour, and Love Rarely’s sound and performances have always been an absolute joy to see. The two years since Lonely People have seemingly flown by, and Love Rarely have now arrived at their debut full-length, Pain Travels. It is one of the most technically proficient and emotionally stirring albums that has been released in recent memory.
Pain Travels blends familiarity and an expansion of Love Rarely’s breadth of sound, which the opening stretch of the album more than showcases. Opener “Will” feels much like a successor to Lonely People’s “Entropy”, as the guitars noodle themselves into leitmotif territory, crafting one of the many earworms that are present throughout Pain Travels. Then “Repulse” sounds like a merge of “P.A.F (Outro I)” and later track and single “Whiplash”. The rage and aggression of the Lonely People closer has been cranked up another notch, as Dan Gilson’s bass delivers a hammering harmony. It’s an early sense of the contrasting sounds that are going to be present across Love Rarely’s debut full-length.
It’s on “Severed” where Love Rarely put together a run of tracks that will wrench at the depths of the heart, with tales and a performance to go with them. Cortuney Levitt’s vocal performance comes into its own; their ability to deliver such emotive vocals both on the screams and cleaner moments is an art. The delivery on “Can we stop now?, I will remember, I will remember, your face, forever” has an anguish to it that makes it impossible not to be drawn into the story that Pain Travels has begun to tell, about dealing with a hostile family member. The tempo in the guitars at around a third of the way through the track, which leans into the chaos that such situations these moments can leave a person in.
“I’ll Try” and “Haunted” are two tracks that could become quick fan favourites, both of which showcase more of the strongest Love Rarely’s vocal performances. The former shows how the instrumentals lean into the storytelling, as the guitars move frenetically between more defiant moments and contemplative melodies. Levitt’s vocals on the chorus echo throughout the track with a porcelain-like sense of fragility and beauty. The string work that “I’ll Try” closes out on adds further to an atmosphere filled with sorrow. On “Will”, Lew Taylor’s vocals make a return, trading with Levitt to create an enchanting contrast, feeling like different voices in one’s head. A defiant Levitt yells “This is how we survive, you’ve gotta keep in inside” while Taylor delivers something more meditative. The little switch akin to that in “Severed” returns and builds into a glistening mathy-section. As the clean chords dance in the track, Taylor delivers once again with “I’ve been haunted by you all my life, couldn’t leave you if I tried”, touching on the themes of self-reckoning with a loved one – something that returns later on in the album’s closer.
As the tracks flow between each other like pages in a book, “Blame” drops with bombast that is as explosive as “Repulse”, leading to what is the most gut-wrenching track that Pain Travels has to offer on “What You Did”. The yells of “What you did to me, and I can’t let go of this”, rumble throughout the track early on. The spoken word moment that opens with “You can’t save me, you didn’t even try” is delivered with such grief that it’s enough to make the eyes well up. The isolated “I’ve been stuck in time for all my life” is similarly striking and will stick with those who pass through Pain Travels. “What You Did” also has the sense of a chapter closing in Pain Travels, as themes of familial alcoholism and trauma return later on.
After the weight of “What You Did”, Pain Travels moves quickly into “Mould”. It’s here where an interlude between the two could have been a nice little addition to process the previous track. “Mould” and “Whiplash” are two tracks that are now familiar in the Love Rarely discography, releasing in the latter half of 2024. The flair that both tracks have still make them a fantastic listen, and there’s little doubt that are both deserved inclusions here, especially with that iconic line in “Mould” (“Why must I love rarely to love well?”). It’s possible to see them as a bridge between Lonely People and Pain Travels, and perhaps how the response to the two tracks, most notably “Whiplash”, informed the style and sound of earlier tracks such as “Repulse”.
Another tear in the eye will be formed by “Dormant” which confronts a tough scenario as Levitt processes her grandmother’s dementia. It’s more fast-paced than the tracks that have come before; the clean guitars here absolutely glisten, matched with the warmth and love that are present in Levitt’s vocals. The mix makes for a track that is endearing and touching. As the line of “We don’t have much time left, what do I do, fearing this world without you” is yelled out, it’s another moment that’s difficult to not be completely moved by. The record’s earliest single “Disappear” follows, drenched in melancholy whilst showcasing a sprightly swancore style. Across the record the shift in production from Lonely People is evident. The instrumentals put in a lot of work as a part of the storytelling in Pain Travels, and do at times make the lyrics slightly more challenging to hear than they were on Lonely People. It might take some slight readjustment for those who are familiar with the previous EP, but it also demonstrates Love Rarely’s DIY-or-die attitude, and imparts a unique sound.
The earlier themes of family, trauma and alcoholism are returned to as Pain Travels closes out on “Through Families”; The early lyric of “I can’t hate you, but I can hate your life” are as gut-wrenching. Yet the track also carries defiance, as “so pull up the family tree, the roots are soaked in alcohol” is delivered, to move on from the trauma of it all. The yell of “How can we possibly be fine after this?”, while anguished, feels reminiscent of the well-known “The tales that really mattered” quote – through all the pain and suffering, there is some light at the end of it all. The structure of the track is masterful, once more using different elements of their sound to convey emotions.
Pain Travels is an album to be sat down with and digested in order to take in its lyricism, the performances, and the emotional journey it takes the listener on. It’s a rare occurrence to come across a record that is as moving and touching. It’s an album that Love Rarely have put parts of themselves into, resulting in a vulnerability that makes it difficult not to be drawn into. For those who pass through Pain Travels, the message and the story will stick with them, whether they have had similar issues or not. The storytelling is matched with musicianship that crosses genres and fuses together sounds to craft something truly spectacular. The time put into and also the experience that each member has, all being involved in the UK’s post hardcore scene for a decade plus has come to the fore here, resulting in a record that will be held close to the heart to many for a long time to come.
10/10
Pain Travels is out April 10th via Big Scary Monsters, and can be pre-ordered here.