Movements – Feel Something (Review)

Orange County’s Movements wanted to inspire feeling with their new album.

Vocalist Patrick Miranda shared, “We want our listeners to know that no matter what they’re going through there’s someone out there who understands. We want them to know they aren’t alone in their struggles, and no one should have to suffer alone. We don’t care if our music makes you feel sad, happy, angry, confused, or anything in between. All we care about is that it makes you Feel Something.”  Patrick along with Ira George (guitar), Spencer York (drums), and Austin Cressey (bass), Movements have definitely pulled it off.

Their eleven tracks on Feel Something spark emotional curiosity, drawing us in with ‘here I am’ humbleness and emotional vulnerability. Already capturing the attention of feelings collectors everywhere with “Colorblind”, the curiosity of what Movements were bringing with Feel Something gained relevant hype. Ahead of its 20th October release via Fearless Records/Caroline Australia, we dove into the album.

“Full Circle” is the first track on Feel Something. Seeming like an invitation into discomfort, it doubles as a reassurance that things will be okay, even if we have to scream that out loud until we believe it. With jangling riffs and rhythms that feel hard to grasp, we’re taken on a journey of unraveling, falling apart, never ending discomfort, and an ache that doesn’t stop.

“This cycle comes full circle”

And yet we have to believe there’s something more than this, and Movements are clinging onto this belief in a cycle along with us; trusting that if it’s a cycle then peace will come soon. Momentary openness and relaxedness on the track offers a taste of peace, ease, breath.. with a hope-filled yet desperate spoken word affirmation that maybe there’ll be a smile on these lips sometime soon. Even if we don’t feel it right now.

“Third Degree” takes us into the secret satisfaction of being used within the realm of a romantic relationship, and loving every minute of it. He is seeing what this lover is doing to him, and leaning into the flames that lick at his skin. There’s something beautiful about this story as it unfolds with strong guitar and heartbeat thumping drums, where the ‘victim’ acknowledges his own games that are now being played at him.

“Burn yourself into me and leave my body charred
So when you decide to leave I can write about my scars”

The aliveness in seeing the manipulation unfold feels like unconditional adoration to the extreme, handing over his life to the experience. And there’s something he drinks up in this closeness; the feeling of being lost in something real to the point of his destruction.

The following track, “Colorblind”, seems to be the opposite to what’s captured in “Third Degree”. There’s barely any recognition of this partner who is screaming for his attention and understanding. The swirling sound into the second verse plays out like questions and self-analysis, trying to work out why he’s so messed up that he can’t see her ‘gold’ness.

“And this complacency just seems to get the best of me”

With the dragging sound and screams at the bridge he is harassing himself for being how he is, before returning to the more muted chorus (“Save yourself, I’m not worth the time”) with heartwrenching confusion (“Is there something wrong with me?!”).

Patrick shared about the album “When people hear this, I want them to think it’s impactful. I want them to hear the record, feel it, and continue to experience it.”
 The discomfort of tracks like “Colorblind” certainly leave their mark in the heavy ache of questioning.

 

The next track “Daylily” refutes the ‘I shouldn’t be trusted with your heart’ vibe of “Colorblind”. With raw guitar and tender vocals, “Daylily” observes another with care and a delicate heart. He is believing in her getting better than she is now. This track is a cry out into the universe for greater things for his love, because this beauty deserves reason to ‘stay for awhile’.

“I think it’s time you had a pink cloud summer,
Cause you’ve gone too long without a smile”

Beautiful immersive metaphor on “Daylily” takes us into easier, sweeter times, with his (unblinded) eyes focused upon someone he cares for, wanting to bring pink to her grey. Patrick shared that the track is about his current girlfriend: “We connect so deeply because she understands what I’m going through. She’s had severe anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder. Her therapist would call good days, ‘Pink cloud days.’ No matter how many bad days you have, you will have more ‘Pink cloud days.’”

Despite the specificness, the desire for something easier to be experienced is captured in the song, with emotion-soaked vocals that have us all feel it alongside her.

I am struck by the curiosity about humans that Movements share in their songs, whether themselves or others they observe. “Deadly Dull” is no different, curiously and powerfully observing Alzheimer’s, seeing his girlfriend’s grandfather distraught at the loss of his wife, before not remembering/knowing that it had happened twenty mintutes later.

With mind-bending looped riffs and wistful beats, “Deadly Dull” is engaging as it unfolds. Heart-heavy and breathless in observation, Patrick’s vocals in telling this story are magnetic as he is left wondering what it’s like to have moments of life erased, and wondering if this will happen to him too. Layered vocals and building intensity collides into a state of confusion, aptly capturing a mental maze, where elimination may be the only way out.

“And will I end up the same way, when I grow old and turn to grey
As time leaves me behind to fade away”

 

Movements have the following track “Fever Dream” as an expression of feeling haunted by darkness and negativity. Raw guitar is played with a sense of dragging heaviness and the vocals feel empty and awash in nothingness. Lyrically the bleak sense of lost self and defeat is powerfully captured, as is the (momentary) hope to feel something more than this. But when you realise that what you’re fighting exists within you, an inevitable and dark solution reveals itself.

“My only enemy is in my heart”

Next on “Suffer Through” I am back into speechlessly ‘watching’ the emotive storytelling as it unfolds via Patrick’s expressive voice and the tension captured instrumentally. The sound is stronger on this track, with honest admissions of seeing life coming undone around him and also within him. He feels mentally plagued, acknowledging that he can’t run away anymore, and needs to face his demons; he needs to face himself.

I loved the sexiness of “Deep Red” which is next on Feel Something. Sexiness via gritty riffs and the lyrics, as this magnetic captivation between two people draws him in. In his colorblind world, he can see her in full color and his every cell is lit up by her existence.

“I tried but I can’t seem to look away and you don’t care
Instead you meet my steady gaze and we go from there”

“Deep Red” is excitement in new love, hands gripping, dreamy immersion, and intensity of feeling. I loved the way the sound shifts on this track, firstly in amplifying the surreal nature of the experience, and then lastly seeming to reflect the sudden absence with gut-churning heart-heavy emptiness.

Rawer and rougher we go into “Under The Gun” with screams taking more of centre stage. This track has the feel of a rough ending of a relationship that was fraught with difficulty. The turmoil rages on while the ending is trying to happen. There are moments which feel like falling deep into a hole (‘Nothing at all’), and the screams feel more like convincing themselves than expressing it to another.

“Under The Gun” flows immediately into “Submerge”, taking us into a walking-underwater state of existence. The vibe of this track feels like someone who is devoid of energy, who is just being, but barely, existing without conscious awareness. They’re drowning in sorrow. Emotive and vocals cry out on the track, while guitar also calls out in its own way. While sad and heavy, there’s something also beautiful about this track.

Last on Feel Something is “The Gray”. This track seems to capture the endless wintery twilight of depression; seeking change which never comes. It’s a heart-heavy ending to the album, with no grand resolution, just the existence of hope. And that’s okay.

“I’ve been screaming but nothing’s changed”

Movements sought to leave an impact with Feel Something and they’ve achieved that. Each track lays out slivers of the human experience, unfolding them in front of us to a stirring soundtrack. With each track is an opportunity to drift into a metaphorical world that’s being crafted to explore emotion as it is being observed and unpicked right before us. Feel Something powerfully captures a quest to feel something more than a clouded and neutral existence, whether that’s a manipulation-edged love, a focus on someone else’s joy, fighting others or the self, or deeply immersing into dark pools of sadness. Feel Something takes you by the hand into this immersion, and may end up leaving you deliciously charred by the experience.