“Is your happiness confined to your escape?”
The Australian heavy music scene is one that is celebrated and cherished. It boasts an endless supply of influential and boundary-pushing bands in all styles. Many of the bigger names, such as Make Them Suffer, Northlane, and Alpha Wolf, occupy the majority of the limelight. As with any scene though, there is a wave of underground bands, crafting music that is no less passionate than their more acclaimed contemporaries.
This is the space that Tapestry occupies. The band, formerly from Darwin, plays an emotional blend of post-hardcore and melodic hardcore, a refreshing contrast against the usual heavy hitters. Despite their seemingly smaller presence, they have found their way onto headliners by bands such as Polaris and Thornhill. With an EP, Ghost Of Me, under their belts, Tapestry look to further expand upon their sound with their debut full-length, The Pain You Desire, The Love You Deserve.
The personal nature of Tapestry’s music is already made apparent from the opening track, “Hutchison Terrace”. The soaring and smooth voice of vocalist Tom Devine-Harrison tells the story of a broken family over an atmospheric, melancholic instrumental. A satisfying track, it places emphasis on the emotion over technicality (although the track does boast an impressive solo). The whole album takes that approach, really. The theme of heartfelt and raw lyrics is one that is carried throughout the record. Following track “I Don’t Belong Here” takes the lyrical direction towards depression, with painfully honest lines like “I’ve been ruining my life. I tried taking mine, but I can’t even seem to get that right.” showing that Tapestry isn’t afraid of being candid. Themes of failed relationships, mental health struggles, and many other stories of hurt are no stranger to the post-hardcore genre, but Tapestry presents these in a manner so very heartfelt.
Emotional impact is the biggest strength of the album. Although the sound of the record can be considered quite uniform, each track still offers something different. A consistent feeling of melancholy blankets the album in a strangely comforting embrace. The choice to utilize clean vocals for the majority of the record works wonderfully in their favour, as Devine-Harrison has an affinity with memorable hooks. His gracefully emotive voice provides a pleasant contrast to the comparatively heavier instrumentals. On tracks like “Let Me Leave” and “Chasing Silhouettes”, he displays this to great effect. He is also more than able to deliver more aggressive vocals, with his screams being able to carry the same emotion, heard on tracks like “Marionette” and “Descent”, which also features Jono Hawkey of fellow Australian post-hardcore band, Bloom.
The instrumentals on the record definitely do not take a backseat. Utilized as a vehicle for the poignant impact of the band’s sound, they are impressively nuanced. The guitars in particular are notably enjoyable, provided by guitarists Luke O’Neill and Darcy Grant. The lead work is subtle, yet undeniably lends to the full picture, giving each track a complete feel. One standout moment is on the track “Turning Blind”, where the track ends on an impressive solo. Bassist Connor Askham provides a much-needed low-end backing to the whole album, even having moments to shine at points. Drummer Benjamin Masters does an excellent job, keeping the momentum while not sacrificing on moments of technical skill, all accompanied with a satisfying snare tone. Though as mentioned before, the album mostly keeps to a more melodic approach, the heavy moments on the album are appropriately placed and provide contrast and variety. Interlude “Static” leads into “Violent Pictures”, the heaviest track on the album. Taking an aggressive melodic hardcore approach to the angrier tone of the track, it’s a highlight, giving the album balance.
The album ends on the title track and outro track “Lonely, Lonely”. The title track is a cinematic journey, with many moments of suspense and release. The track explodes into post-rock tremolos at the end, a climax that is befitting of the end of the album. “Lonely, Lonely” is a short, acoustic track, which is a gentle end to the album. I would argue however that the title track is already a sufficient ending. Ending on an acoustic song often feels cliché, but the inclusion of this outro doesn’t feel too out of place, at least.
There is a splendid rise in quality for Tapestry since their debut EP. Taking a less aggressive approach from their earlier work, while not compromising on the heavy moments, they have fashioned a balanced sound that articulates emotion excellently. The album itself flows smoothly; intentional care has definitely been put into the order of the tracklist. For anyone looking for a poignant and heartfelt record, The Pain You Desire, The Love You Deserve will do much more than satisfy.
9/10
The Pain You Desire, The Love You Deserve releases on the 18th of August via self-release. Pre-order the album here.