Ithaca - "They Fear Us"

Genre : Chaotic hardcore, Metallic hardcore

Released : July 29th, 2022

Label : Hassle Records

FFO : Rolo Tomassi, Knocked Loose, Chamber,

Pupil Slicer, Employed to Serve

Ithaca's 2019 debut full-length "Language of Injury" became an instant favourite as soon as my ears stumbled upon "Impulse Crush" (that outro breakdown still makes me feel a certain type of way, even now) and made them one of my favourite underground hardcore acts in the scene.

"They Fear Us" is a triumphant and grandiose return in every possible aspect which sees Ithaca unlock a whole new piece of their potential as a band.

One of the first things that struck me when listening to the singles was just how much more clear and precise the band sounded while loosing none of their signature raw and visceral nature that is essential to their identity.

After that initial impression, the other thing that is immediately noticeable is how much more depth, variation and even experimentation the band have brought to their sound on this new LP.

Even amongst the scorching metallic hardcore chaos of tracks like "In The Way", "They Fear Us" or "Camera Eats First", ethereal bridges or choruses of layered clean vocals backed by even more layers of ambient synths weave their way in and out of the sonic assault Ithaca are dishing out, in a way that brings fellow UK experimental metallers, Rolo Tomassi to mind.

Each member of the band has stepped up their game for this second album in an audible way and Ithaca's songwriting has matured so much in between both albums.

But the spotlight for me has to go to lead singer Djamila Boden Azzouz who displays a surprising amount of versatility and whose control over both her distinctive, gnarly, harsh vocals and her newfound, uplifting, powerful cleans is genuinely impressive.

Another massive spotlight for "They Fear Us" is the production work from Lewis Johns (The Ranch Production House) and Grant Berry (Fader Mastering) who have made these amazing performances from the band members sound as razor sharp and crystal clear as possible, giving the album's overall sound an air-tight quality to it from which Ithaca's style of music greatly benefits in order to hit with full impact.

Interestingly enough, as the album arrives to its last few tracks, the pace shifts and focuses even more on the melodic elements Ithaca have infused their brand of hardcore with.

"Fluorescent" has nothing to envy any Spiritbox track and closing song "Hold, Be Held" is Ithaca's take on a ballad which delivers a fittingly emotional closure to an album that deals with an array of very serious issues (discrimination, mental health, body image, sexism...) yet from the perspective of one that overcomes, stares adversity in the eye defiantly and triumphs instead of suffering it, unlike 2019's "Language of Injury".

Chaotic, abrasive, catchy, melodic and most importantly, relevant; "They Fear Us" shows an impressive amount of growth and maturity from Ithaca, whom you can be sure you'll hear more and more about in the future, "cause they're catching up again".