Initiate23

From the label...

BLUE GRAPE MUSIC is thrilled to welcome Southern California's INITIATE —Crystal Pak [vocals], Michael Morales [bass], Draven Carter [guitar],Manning Gray [guitar], and John Hodge [drums] — to the label's global roster.

The band will drop the new WITH LOVE // WITH RAGE EP on August 7.

"When I looked back at the lyrics, everything read as a letter, either to another person in my life, my friends, or myself," reveals Pak. "However, a letter to a friend would be signed off 'With Love' not 'With Rage.' I intentionally wrote these songs, so they spoke to these two opposing feelings: Love and rage. You can tell which tracks spill to which side."

The band has shared the video for "NUMB THE PAIN." Watch the Bella Petro-directed visual below.

Widening their collective palette, the musicians nodded to inspirations as diverse as Hum, Deftones, Jane's Addiction, Rage Against The Machine, and Failure as well as longtime favorites Paramore. "We all wondered, 'What would it sound like if Clairo wrote a Quicksand record?,'" Pak says.

Pak continues, "The song starts off with a callback to our last single, 'Alone At the Bottom,' showcasing the ebbs and flows that life can throw at you. Where much of hardcore leans into anthems of brotherhood and sisterhood, this track still embraces those themes, but frames them through a more introspective lens. The addition of melodic softness and acoustic elements makes it clear from the outset that this is meant to land differently — not as a rallying cry, but as something more personal and reflective."

She finishes. "In a way, it stands apart while still feeling connected to the core of what we do — expanding our sound without losing the heart behind it, and showing that strength doesn't always have to come through volume alone."

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHT

Copyright © 2011 Rest Assured Zine.
All Rights Reserved.