Catharsis is a potent term. One that within it holds malice, angst and spite in equal measure and then ties all three together with an emotionally charged bow. Bands have been trying to engage with and incorporate the essence of catharsis in their music for many years now and it’s a trend that doesn’t look like it will be stopping any time soon. One of the latest to give it a good old go is Banbury-based sons I Cried Wolf who, with their debut EP ‘Hollow Heart’, are looking to release chaos upon the world in the only way they know how.

From it’s frenzied beginnings to it’s bludgeoning ends, ‘Hollow Heart’ skips between many different areas of heaviness. I Cried Wolf have taken influence from every corner of their iTunes library and come out the other end with something that is wholly individual. Opener ‘Scratching My Head With Ink’ pulls together Every Time I Die-esque grooves with British cheekiness, while ‘Massokiss Me’ spasms and crashes with chandelier-swinging aggression and laddish intentions.

There is a lot to really enjoy about I Cried Wolf as a band. Leading with an air of cockiness but also showing off their softer side, the band has all the ingredients for making a storm. The only niggling issue with ‘Hollow Heart’ is that at times it all gets a little lost in itself. True catharsis may sound like total bedlam but also has a slight sense of control behind the madness. At times, I Cried Wolf seem to lack that level of control and push too much in a song leaving areas feeling a little muddled and unnecessary. Saying that, ‘It Takes A Slave’ channels whisky-fuelled blues and balls-to-the-walls mosh with sensually gritty debauchery in a wholeheartedly brilliant manner, before ‘Kensopia’ incorporates melodic refrains with metalcore destruction and ‘Sharkfeet’ sees things out with a flurry of pummeling breakdowns, epic guitar leads and metal majesty.

‘Hollow Heart’ has a lot going for it. It has its fingers in many an exciting pie and I Cried Wolf should be credited for pushing past their own expectations and going all-in on their debut EP. It’s just the little things at this point that are holding them back from being truly great. With time though, cogs will be oiled and gaps filled in and then who knows what the future could hold for these raging party starters. Ones to watch indeed.

3/5

‘Hollow Heart’ EP by I Cried Wolf is released on 11th September on Crooked Noise Records .

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Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)