Painful are the ties that bind, and agonizing are the ties that also break. The staining of one's heart and emotions, the disruption of one's soul from being distanced from others and oneself- it all demands an outlet. Emo music has been a notable genre in the world, starting in the 80s as 'emotional hardcore'; we saw artists start to prefer to turn angst and aggression against political powers into deep confessionals and self-vulnerable maiming. Outward malcontent crawled into its shell, and out came a genre that confidently splayed its internals out for the world to see, but retaining its roots of punk's unapologetic rhythms, jazzy and groove-based drumming, and hardcore-like vocals with big clean choruses. Popularized in the 2000's with a wave of artists like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Jimmy Eat World- emo was cemented in its place of music with a cult following of angst, heartbreak, and really fucking long song titles.
Coming out of Mebane, North Carolina, Feelings Like Fire has turned what was a local project into an emotionally-geared powerhouse. Combining 2000 emo's punk-like guitars (Matt Stretz), bass (Zeke Mankel), drums (Allan Kuylen), and vulnerable, tinged themes, but with the post-hardcore and metalcore harsh and clean vocals (Blake Carroll) and sonic heaviness found in artists of the 2010's, Feelings Like Fire expresses grief-filled emotions through dynamic instrumentals, releasing two recent tracks, "why does everything remind me of her?" and "rose coloured glasses are one hell of a drug".
Recorded at End Roadwork Studio in Siler City, NC, these tracks were mixed in-house by guitarist and harsh vocalist Matt Stretz, engineered by Stefan Tomala, and mastered by Kris Crummett. The band offers confessions of internal pain, grief, and disruption in two tracks that are equally longing for connection, yet differ dynamically in pace, tone, and creativity. Winter is here, and the only warmth this season is Feelings Like Fire.
"Together We Scorched Everything Unaware"
The first track the North Carolina group has given us for this cold emo season is "Why Does Everything Remind Me of Her", featuring Kaleb Bragg of North Carolina's post-hardcore group, thisislandearth. Starting out with punk-like palm-muted notes and cymbal climbing, Carroll's clean vocals reflect on the aftermath of relationship turmoil before bursting into high-energy open chords and groovy drums. This is already a classic track made for the genre, and most interesting is the backing of hardcore-like vocals from Stretz- creating this dynamic in the band where both melancholy cleans and heart-ripped angst are covered down simultaneously. The dual vocalists conjoin on the human consistency to bury one's tender parts until the soul runs out of room and eventually comes pouring out.
The verses continue with palm-muted guitars while Stretz screams out against the hauntings of dead love, before opening the track to its pyro-inspired chorus. Carroll's vocals are catchy and calm, yet his vibrato allows him to flow and catch himself in each section impressively. Guitar leads play over open chords, and fast-paced kicks and snares by Kuylen allow this track to instantly become an emotional sing-along that looks over the scorched earth of its connections. Though I personally take my music dripped in nihilism, anger, and aggression- the track resonates the common emotions found in relationship loss and dealing with the emotional ghosts that attach to oneself long after the end of a connection made with someone else. Feelings Like Fire captures this concept of a 'phantom heart' (like a 'phantom limb', but more internal), and it's as catchy as it is vulnerable.
"why does everything remind me of her?" OFFICIAL GUITAR PLAYTHROUGH VIDEO
Inspired by artists like Silverstein, The Used, and Sleeping With Sirens, the band comments on the track of how quick it was to write it, where their emotions were, and what they're seeking as upcoming artists, stating:
This track is about being unable to escape the ghost of a toxic relationship that haunts you. Writing it was like capturing lighting in a bottle, it was more or less written in a single night, and the energy from each other was like a thunderstorm.. I was in a very dark place when I wrote it, and it was a very cathartic release for me. We wanted to hone in our sound with this one, paying homage to our inspirations, but also find who we are as a band. I hope this song resonates with anyone who's struggled with not being able to move on from something that has hurt or traumatized you.
The track stops looking at the ashes and turns inward on itself, with vices of alcohol abuse, emotional numbing, and intense suicidal ideation. There is a phenomenon found in the body of oneself, where if a pain becomes too great, the heart will somehow convince the brain that it needs to punish itself, and if intense enough, end itself. The track goes into a spoken-word statement that confesses its need to self-destruct, while Carroll's vocals soothingly climb behind bass drum marching and guitar leads- before hitting a modern-tinged breakdown. Bragg's voice slugs through the track, with punishing mids and hardcore vocals, while Stretz hits longing guitar leads. This form of emo the band delivers is unique in that it caters to the emotionally grieved audiences looking for tender and clean, departed messages and instruments, but also those in my group who find their solace in hurt through a more aggressive outlet of throwing elbows and assaulting one another.
"Rose Coloured Glasses Reveal A Different Shade Of Blue"
Stepping off of high-energy post-hardcore and punk roots, Feelings Like Fire digs even deeper and somber into themselves with their newest single, "rose coloured glasses are one hell of a drug". Starting off with saddened guitar strums and leads that you'd find played over Lo-Fi videos, and Mankel's bass that cuts through the track with Kuylen's slowed drum grooves. The track makes you feel like you're suspended in space, drifting and lost. Caroll is the star of this track, with mellowed-out cleans that are both reminiscent of love and of its own pain.
Stretz's catchy, somber chords and added leads make the chorus stretch itself forward while Caroll's cleans cut through. Thematically, the track is less direct and energy-driven than its previous counterpart track, and is more poetic, defeated, and derived from a place where feelings go to die. Caroll's chorus is confessional and catchy, with higher-sung cleans that open his awareness of grief-filled playbacks and the emotional graveyard that he's left to look at, while the drums and bass carry the weight through simple but effective strumming and fills that catch themselves as it progresses.
Lyrically, the term shared by the track's title, 'rose coloured glasses,' refers to the idiom describing overlooking the flaws and negatives of something/someone, and instead holding it to an idealistic and more favored false emotion. A common occurrence in toxic relationships, the human body at times allows the heart to overrule and hijack the brain, allowing a connection that's as painful as it is blurred. Rational thinking is dug up, and emotions of longing are planted to take root in its place. The track is intelligent in that it's self-aware that pieces are falling off of itself, and relatable in that in most cases, we sometimes only stare at them on the floor- or worse, imagining we're still whole.
Exiting the track, bass and drums cover down while Stretz delivers a tasteful, climactic guitar solo that echoes the track's internal breakage. It's filled with emotional vibrato, almost blues-like scale climbs, and is more passionate and less cold and calculated than what's found in more aggressive genres. Stretz is a Swiss-army-knife of a musician: from self-mixing and production, the ability to add guitar nuances and rhythms, and also to provide emotional solos that fit tight and snug into tracks that he writes. A track like this is a staple for fans of emo's tender and lofi tones and themes, and though I'm a fan of hateful outward expression, I found myself musically convinced to look inward; after all, what is hate but just sadness without its mask? It's a powerful single for those familiar with the genre, those looking to be introduced to it, and one to convince listeners of other genres to give it a shot.
Feelings Like Fire lives and breathes in a realm of its own unique emotional dynamics. From dual post-hardcore vocals, rhythms, and grooving drums to emo's signature tender cleans, powerful choruses, and wearing one's heart on their sleeve, adding in guitar solos and breakdowns that make them modernized, fresh, and carrying them as a milestone group for the next phase of artists. The Mebane, North Carolina outfit has channeled themselves as a welcome addition to emo's continued evolution of artists, touching upon the heart's knack for holding onto things that seek to twist, hurt, and break it- regardless of how fucking painful it is.
Started as a simple musical project, Feelings Like Fire has started to grow within the East Coast music scene. From previously released covers of notable tracks like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", and an acoustic version of Pierce The Veil's "Hold On Till May", the band has started throwing out more extensions of themselves with tracks that are honest, confident, and vulnerable while paying homage to the previous decades of artists of the genre. Emo season is here, and Feelings Like Fire is just warming up this winter.
