Though new to me, Rare Words have been an active band in the local scene since 2014. I did my homework and learned that the five piece have played alongside bands like Storm The Sky, The Brave, She Cries Wolf, Polaris, and also a significant portion of the Greyscale Records roster (The Comfort, Deadlights, Belle Haven, and The Beautiful Monument). The band are also signed with Brisbane based Dead Youth Records.
Also according to my Rare Words homework, at some point in 2016 the band posted a cryptic Facebook status: “Are we numb or are we numbered”. This caught my eye, because today “Numbered” has been released, containing that line as a lyric in its chorus. Assumedly a lonnnng time in the works, the new single was produced by band members Luke O’Toole and Joel Reardon, and mixed and mastered by Lance Prenc. “Numbered”‘s video comes at the hand of Nick Hargans.
Joel describes “Numbered” as relating to the frustration of “settling for mediocrity in a way. Whether it’s your lifestyle, social or political views or choices you make just to get by.” He adds “It also twists to reflect this on choices I’ve made and how unsettling/unsatisfying it is to live like that and to just live with no ambition or just not caring about anything”.
This realisation of historical settling comes through palpably through the track, where after an misty and melodically looming introduction, admissions are shared relatively bluntly. What comes across initially as sober and emotionless gradually grows into hits of emotion, making for a really cool slow burn of a track with “Numbered”. By the time we land in the second verse, raw desperation in seeking answers is present.
The video’s imagery of blindfolded band members suits this state of being complacent and numb; unaware of what else is possible for them. The climbing urgency of the song asks to understand the machinations we exist within and what part we play as individuals.
The bridge and its fiery determination to be free comes across as a brilliant breaking point of the track. I thoroughly enjoyed the four minute ride that “Numbered” took me on, and this made for a very satisfying moment. Its fading ending leaves a question of “What’s next?” in the air, seeming like that choice to go beyond being blind and settling is possible to be made in the space left behind.
I dig it! Watch “Numbered” via Dreambound on YouTube below now.
