It takes a special kind of band to get so much hype on their first release, even more so a band outside of the USA. For us here, one of those bands (Thousand Below review is coming soon), is Awaken I Am. The Australian post hardcore band got inked with Victory Records last December, which seems like an eternity ago! Awaken I Am dropped the single ‘Slumber’ after signing and then recorded ‘Blind Love’ earlier this year with Taylor Larson who is known for his work with I See Stars and From First To Last.
The Weeknd x Post-Hardcore?
If there is anything unique about this record is the coexistence of pop/RnB with harder music. This concept is not a new thing with bands such as Issues and Palisades blending it, but they do just that, blend the styles. ‘Blind Love’ has those styles coexisting together as one. It really does sound like The Weeknd is fronting a heavier act, with the heavy term used loosely. The eighth track ‘Hindsight’ which is honestly a pop track on it’s own shows off this vocal style pretty well. The opening track ‘Walk My Way’ is a great example of the coexistence of these styles together.
Growth From Single To ‘Blind Love’
We mentioned earlier when signing to Victory Records, Awaken I Am did release a single called ‘Slumber’. This song did not make it on the album, but it has the style one would expect from a post hardcore band, granted with no screaming. However, with recording in January for ‘Blind Love’ and this single coming out late last year, the difference is very very noticeable with the styles. This song can still be called heavy in some regards, while ‘Blind Love’ is straight up melodic and full of ambience. Should this single have been on the full length, it would have definitely have been the black sheep of the album. It is truly amazing how much the band grew and wrote between these two releases.
Overall Takeaways
Overall, this record did not let me down. I had it as one of my most anticipated of the year and it did not disappoint. Solid from start to finish, while no song is alike, the overall mood and concept remains the same.
Notable Tracks:
‘Walk My Way’
‘Blind Love’
‘Naive’
‘Hindsight’
‘Wolves’
Purchase at: http://www.victorymerch.com/store/awakeniam
Rating: 9/10
