HOW WE BURN
The Precipice
Boston, United States
How We Burn have unleashed an almighty sound in their latest album, ‘The Precipice.’ It's an American rock album to its core. Bold, brash and full of rich textures and colours that paint abstract emotional pictures on bare brick walls. The sound is full-bodied and tonal, harmonies pull in the chorus, chugging guitars and bass blow through the heavier songs and pluck whimsical riffs in the lighter ones. With a sound that mixes the creativity and push of Clutch with the hardcore grit of Stone Temple Pilots, How We Burn are a recipe for success, and their songs are proof of that.
‘The Precipice’ is 7 songs long and it's all over in a flash. I could sit and listen to the melodic stylings of the band for hours. What they have opted for is quality over quantity. Beginning with ‘Decent’ the album blows you away with its tones. They’re rich like caramel and burn the back of your throat like bourbon. The melody gets underway and you’re lost in the smash of drums and thrum of electric rock. The vocals pile on and lead the convoy to musical prowess. It's all so well done and mixed to a fine point of rock and roll splendour. This continues in ‘Clean Hands’ which slows the album down for a touch and brings in sounds of acoustic guitars and woodwinds. A fitting addition for such crunchy vocals and tones. The experimentation continues in ‘Bloody,’ with its sighing guitar wail open and harmonic guitar strumming patterns, as well as in ‘Drama Scene’ which pushes the pace of the album to its zenith. The drums bleat and the guitars thrash. The vocals dance atop like an acrobat as the two-part harmony supports the melody through crazy twists and turns and into a soothing end.
Though ‘Drama Scene’ marks the halfway point of the album, a change happens just after. ‘Electric Lights’ brings the heat and turns the album up a notch, a few notches, all the way to 11. If I had to convince someone of the brilliance of How We Burn in one song, ‘Electric Lights’ is the sure-fire winner. It's melodic in the back and the front, the riff that blends guitar and bass grabs you instantly and you are thrust into the heart of the rock. Once the vocals begin they build you up from the inside out. A swinging beat and a guitar-bending solo that wrenches the gut and gets you back in that 90s rock vibe. It's uplifting and inspiring in the most humble of ways. ‘Electric Lights’ affects you the way a good song should, it speaks to the inner you and you come up for air at the end of it, panting, sweating, but knowing you’re better off for it. A true highlight.
‘Swayed’ and ‘That’s All You’ finish off the exceptional album and close off the emotion for another day. With ups and downs, twists and turns, ‘The Precipice’ was far more than I bargained for. And yet I am in love with its transient melodies, full-bodied harmonies and 4 to the floor rock beats. Rock will never die, we all know that, but with How We Burn’s ‘The Precipice’ it has been given yet another new lease of life.