Though they’re coming to my awareness as a new band, Recovery Room aren’t newcomers at all. They’ve just been on a little break; cocooned for awhile before metamorphosis if you will. Existing since 2016, the release of new single “Fading Faster” today has me glad that there’s still life in the Sydney emo/rock band’s veins.
With a slightly different lineup than when they began, fans of Above, Below will recognise Recovery Room’s vocalist and guitarist Dylan Mallia, guitarist Jacob Wilkes, and drummer Isaac Ross. The four piece is completed by Kyliee Liddell on bass. Other changes relate to the band’s sound, which seems to have a harder hitting post-hardcore edge in the new single than the more indie warmth heard in their 2018 Wallflower album.
“Let’s hope these pale clouds never rain on you”
Sonically, “Fading Faster”‘s stop-start simplicity and rapid pace at its start barely resembles the emotion-wrenching darkened depths that it sinks into as the song progresses. With mysterious lyrics, the song paints imagery that is tough to fully grasp, which is actually pretty appropriate for themes of loss and decay.
Unleashed in its expressive chorus, “Fading Faster” loses itself in dark caverns at its verses. Layered and suffocating instrumentation pulls me into the experience along with the band. With eyes upon “apathetic prison guards”, the song’s protagonist hits a point of chaotic frustration at the bridge, with the instrumentation fully reflecting this.
Impossibly hopeful, “Fading Faster” gives me the impression of being trapped in a dark place, with the arrival of a dream and its foreign experience being a glimmer of hope. As a fan of post-hardcore, longer songs and their storylike unfoldings, “Fading Faster” is a satisfying journey. Dylan has let us know that “Fading Faster” is merely a teaser of what’s to come, and won’t feature on a future release.
Watch and listen via YouTube below, or stream HERE.
