Brisbane melodic hardcore band Wildheart have released new single and music video “We Are”. Along with the release is the announcement that this single forms the title track of the band’s upcoming five-track EP. We Are releases on 31st August, and follows on from previous releases A Thousand Days (2015), and Above/Below (2016). The five piece have also released singles “Exhale” and “D.O.A” last year. The fresh track was premiered last week via Kill Your Stereo.
Consisting of Axel Best (vocals), Adam Finlay (guitar), Kerry Rowe (bass & vocals), Andrew Edward (drums), and Jaya Joseph (guitar), Wildheart have crafted a blend of frustration and heartache with “We Are”. With the track’s searching vibe and downward pulling riffs, the weight of oppression and the quest to find a better way is expressed before a word is uttered. Gang vocals (“Hey!”) add a fist punch of determination, while a haunting melody continues in amongst the fire of effort, trying hard to wake people up to what’s going on around them.
“No trust. No trust in the system.”
Lyrically, “We Are” speaks with distaste on behalf of those who’ve unknowingly handed over their trust to the manipulative and ‘the blind’ who are leading, who’ve not only broken promises, but have blood on their hands. With this subject matter, the concept of class superiority, the lyrics of having promises ‘stolen’, coupled with Wildheart’s vocalist Axel in a Black Flag mash-up shirt with the Aboriginal flag, I reached out to the band to ask whether “We Are” was inspired by cultural mistreatment in Australia.
Axel shared, “While the song isn’t solely about the plight of indigenous Australians, it is definitely driven by a universal sense of oppression. It’s about an overarching institution that has been constructed to remove the power from the individual, and places them as nothing more than a number.”
He went on to elaborate on how Wildheart as a band are (at least in part) creatively driven by a quest to make a difference to the cultural negativity observed. “This is not the first time we have touched on the issue of Indigenous and other cultural affairs. Our previous single D.O.A (Depression, Oppression, Anxiety) is very heavily based on the hate and bullying that gets passed down through our culture. As a Yugambeh man, I try my best to spread a good message to my friends and colleagues about my culture. Little steps, and spreading my culture and music is a powerful and personal way to reach those that might feel similarly or the same.”
With a sense of urgency throughout, a breakdown that hits hard, raw vocals, and stellar musicianship, it’s clear there’s a lot of heart driving the impressive melodic hardcore quintet. Wildheart’s EP We Are releases on August 31st. Check out “We Are” below via YouTube.
