“Was the outcome worth the cost?“
Post hardcore, as most people have grown to know it, has been growing and expanding for the better part of twenty-five years now. For the most part, there is a central sound to the genre, and it’s been going on for so long that we have now reached post-hardcore revival (as a lot of alternative genres have been as of late). Melbourne, Australia natives Alera have been the underdog of this genre for the last four years. This is mainly due to how much effort they put into everything surrounding the band. Ever since they started, frontman Hayden Oakley poured everything he had into the image of the band, and the painstakingly difficult puzzles and lore surrounding it all.
Starting back in 2021, Alera created websites and Discord servers dedicated to solving lore-related puzzles surrounding their first EP, Beware the Snake. This then bled into using puzzles to discover early access for music, special merch/vinyl collaborations with labels such as Stiffcut Records/Breakthrough Records, as well as tickets for shows. Alera then broke up in August of 2023. After months of silence, a band began to peek up in early 2024 that included some past members, entitled Cruelty in the Constellations. This is where a sampler came around with two songs, as well as a third track you had to encrypt and put together. As the months went by, it was then revealed that this band was in fact Alera, making a grand return alongside another puzzle surrounding an elusive building called “The Tower”. This led to the revelation that the previous sampler CD included early versions of three songs on the EP CITC: a demonstration. Now, with the band back in full swing, let’s get into the music.
With four tracks and just about thirteen minutes, Alera try to explore every avenue they can. While they began to explore back in 2023 with the hardcore leaning track, “we will never know why flowers grow through the cracks in the pavement“, Alera takes their exploration to an even higher level. CITC: a demonstration is the band fully evolved. This peak is partly thanks to the newly introduced triple vocal duties of Oakley, Tony Taylor, and Thomas Katgert. Moments where these three bounce off of each other truly show the chemistry shown with this new lineup. This is shown best within the track “Tonight, you die.”, containing some of the best guitar work on the whole record as well. Katgert and Liam Elliott bounce off of each other perfectly here, even down to the very tasteful guitar solo in the bridge. Whether they are playing off each other’s riffs or accompanying each other in the various breakdowns, these two mesh together flawlessly.
It also has to be mentioned that this is all mixed perfectly thanks to the stellar production/mix/master from Christopher Vernon (lead singer of fellow Melbourne act Better Half). This production, on top of the master class musicianship, helps elevate Alera to a whole other level musically. Oakley exhibits some of his best clean vocal work to date throughout CITC: a demonstration, especially on tracks like “Tonight, you die”. and lead single “Killing For Something“. We cannot forget about Jimmy Cassol, either, who delivers some phenomenal drum work throughout this entire release. Tracks like “Say I Love You Again” shows that Cassol and bassist Taylor carry the backend of this album, whether Cassol sprinkles blast beats or the two keep it simple to let the vocals shine.
The track “Held Captive by an Apparition” needs its own spotlight as well. This track is yet another example of the overflowing chemistry within the band, as well as Oakley’s best vocals to date. Oakley effortlessly blends and meshes vocals with Katgert and Taylor, especially towards the end, as they act as a response to Oakley‘s main chorus melody. A track like this shows how talented Oakley is as a lyricist as well. Throughout “Held Captive by an Apparition“, Oakley fights through the doubts within himself. He feels like his time is running out and believes he is failing to be the person he has tried to become. In his most relatable track to date, Oakley screams, “I am a dreamer gleeful in his Stockholm syndrome“. The track ends with one last breakdown to get the energy up, as he screams “drowning has never felt this comforting, seven years is only the beginning.” This impactful ending is reminiscent of bands like Static Dress, another great post-hardcore counterpoint and one the band covered as Cruelty in the Constellations. “Held Captive as an Apparition” is a track built to be a hit, with a catchy chorus to match. It just needs to get into the right person’s hands.
While there is so much to love throughout CITC: a demonstration, there is an argument to be made that this EP is a bit on the shorter side. Thirteen minutes for four songs can leave a lot to be desired for a listener, especially for this style of music. Perhaps they needed just one more track to round it all up. But on the other side of the coin, the band already explore many different avenues throughout those thirteen minutes, while also leaving you wanting more. Which is what we all usually want in an EP anyway, right?
In summation, Alera have written their best work to date with CITC: a demonstation. This EP opens up every door to explore whatever they want to do next. Tracks like “Killing For Something” and “Say I Love You Again” add heaps of new styles to the band’s sound that they started back with Beware the Snake, “Never Meant to Go This Way“, and “we will never know why flowers grow through the cracks in the pavement“. If you’re a returning fan, “Tonight, you die.” and “Held Captive by an Apparition” will release familiar feelings for you with a spice of something new. Now, one can only hope Alera makes our dream come true by building on this momentum to craft their debut full-length album. Let’s just hope that comes sooner rather than later.
9/10
CITC: a demonstration has independently released as of November 26 and is available on all streaming platforms.