The Difference Between Hell and Home was a solid album and Canadian melodic-hardcore outfit Counterparts succeed once again with their latest offering of Tragedy Will Find Us. What strikes as impressive from this band is their ability to make their songs intriguing. Instrumentation in each track is different than the last and each lyric pins right to the core of the shambling of broken hearts and soul-crushing fears all around. I don’t think they’re a band that’s afraid of creating the music as confronting as theirs and something makes this band stand out from the rest.
When I listen to melodic-hardcore music, I think of spoken poetry. Spoken poetry that gets right to the core of heartache, pain and the fears embodied to a person. There’s a sense of weariness in the lyrics that tremendously empower one’s soul and Counterparts showcase this with confidence in Tragedy Will Find Us. The record is short and sweet and it doesn’t drag on for too long.
There is fast-paced instrumentation with intriguing build-ups that keep things more than fascinating and the poetic lyrics justify the intensity felt; the intensity of when things hit rock bottom and you’re hurriedly scouring for breath beneath the cracks. “Choke” and “Collapse” contend to be powerful with Brendan Murphy’s pain-stricken vocals flowing effortlessly in your ears. Pulsating with spoken words and angry rhythm of the guitars, there’s an adrenaline rush. It’s an envelope of fears with the darkest of times in each shadowing lyric, furiously pacing back and forth with the drum and guitar work.
It’s difficult to talk about each track to the depths of what the record showcases because each have purpose. There’s no sugarcoating in here as it strips back to the core of what Counterparts really are: a band that isn’t afraid to release something that is burdening them. A band that is proud to be honest with their words and the courageous music they create. It’s as if the story that they’re trying to tell us is a way of letting go of something. Letting go of the anchor that is slowly dragging them down through the heavy, dark instrumentation that resonates through the entirety of the record.
Let us be honest here and note that Counterparts just boom confidence in their art. From the depths of their lyrics to the heavy-driven instrumentation that develops through the record; one of the many darkest releases you could ever come across this year. Like spoken poetry, the passion and raw honesty is something that they have officially mastered in their music. Yes, there’s tragedy in their words but in the end, what matters is that you feel it; a solace that is there for you in your times of adversity and need. The little bit of inspiration left that keeps you going.
Review Score: 8.0 out of 10.
Tragedy Will Find Us is available now
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