It takes all of about five seconds of your first dive into Catharsis, the highly anticipated new album from Covet, to realize you’re in for something deeper than ever from the band.
But beyond the swirling fuzz, warped vocals, and dramatic scene changes are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of complexity.
Catharsis, poetically or not, had a rather difficult birthing process, and ultimately lead to a rebirth of the band itself. This act of self-revolution would slough off a number of casual fans, but after hearing the results, it’s obvious the change is for the better.
Lead single “firebird” is the most familiar of the bunch, which almost makes it a divisive choice for a single – decide for yourself with the music video below.
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Yet the familiarity is short lived. Looking back, Covet has grown by leaps and bounds with every record, each embracing it’s own subtle strengths and aesthetics. Effloresce took a laid back yet mesmerizing approach, and Technicolor raised the stakes with a number of well placed dynamic shifts.
With Catharsis, Yvette Young manages not only to maintain the project’s momentum but also spawn a number of soon-to-be math rock classics. “bronco” and “vanquish” are sure to stick in listeners ears for days, as is the surprisingly shoegaze intro “coronal.”
The highly texturized fuzz and heavy handed room sounds of shoegaze actually seem to play a consistent part in the album’s overall tone. The aptly named “smolder” is one of the best examples of this, which of course sounds a lot like a jazzmaster ripping though a JC120… engulfed in flames.
The overall leaning into this heavier dynamic helps make Catharsis an important record for the band. Far from letting go or giving in, Covet comes out swinging, and critically hones in on emotional release that more than lives up to the hype – it lives up to the title.
Even though we were relieved as anyone that Catharsis kicks ass, we kinda knew it would. Yvette Young’s quality control and dedication to honoring what they think is best for themselves and the music they create could hardly result in anything less. Check out the rest of the album on Bandcamp here, and if you wanna shoot us a quick caffeine fix, god bless you, do it here. Coming up we’ve got all kinds of stuff including H.C. Behrendtsen, After Nations, Fire-Toolz, a recap of our recent venture into Twitch streams, and much more. Thanks for reading!