"The Future Says Thank You" Released: 21 July 2022
Alternate vinyl cover
They Fear Us is the second and final studio album by the British metalcore band Ithaca,released on 29 July 2022 by Hassle Records. Recorded at The Ranch Production House with producer Lewis Johns,Ithaca aimed to experiment with the sound of metalcore,drawing inspiration and incorporating elements from a diverse range of genres. Its lyrics are centred on themes of "divine feminine power",empowerment,revenge,trauma,and healing. Ithaca utilised aesthetics unconventional for the metal genre in the album's cover artwork,press photos and music videos.
They Fear Us received critical acclaim for its songwriting,progression,and vocalist Djamila Boden Azzouz's performance. The album appeared on several year-end lists and earned Ithaca nominations in the "Best Production" and "Best Single" (for the title track) categories at the Heavy Music Awards 2023. The band toured the United Kingdom,Europe and the United States in support of the album. In November 2023,they performed the album in its entirety at The Dome in London.
Background and recording
In February 2019,Ithaca released its debut album,The Language of Injury,through Holy Roar Records.[1] The band were in Copenhagen in the midst of a European tour supporting the album when Denmark enacted lockdown measures against the COVID-19 pandemic,forcing them to cancel their remaining dates and return to the United Kingdom,which enacted its own lockdown restrictions weeks later.[2][3] Their efforts to work on new material,which had just commenced,were subsequently stalled.[3] In a May 2020 interview with Metal Hammer,guitarist Will Sweet said that although guitarist Sam Chetan-Welsh was "doing a lot of writing" and that the band could send sound recordings from their phones to each other,they were not talking outside of "the odd Zoom session" and had put writing on hold until they could be in the same room together.[2] During the pandemic,the members of Ithaca dealt with grief,mental health issues,and internal conflict.[4] Chetan-Welsh credited the pandemic with helping its members self-reflect and work on their mental health—he was able to work through his past trauma dating back to the recording of The Language of Injury—and take more creative risks.[3][4][5] Bassist Dom Moss said that Azzouz's lyrics became less introspective and vicious as the pandemic receded.[6] In addition to this,Ithaca split from Holy Roar after its founder was accused of sexual misconduct,[4] and signed to Hassle Records in May 2021.[7]
Azzouz said the writing of They Fear Us was largely an organic process.[8] Most of the album was written online,which Azzouz felt lent urgency to their few in-person meetups.[9] Chetan-Welsh,who handled most of the writing,[5][10] taught himself how to record demos during the pandemic[3] and worked on programming drum loops and synth parts.[5] In an interview with The Midlands Rocks,he stated that he would usually bring the band a riff or basic song structure,based around a pattern by drummer James Lewis,who would also write around his riffs. The band would then "co-build",with Azzouz providing feedback about song structures with her vocals.[11] Azzouz credited Chetan-Welsh with coming up with some of the album's "more creative and out there ideas".[8] Once writing was completed,Ithaca recorded They Fear Us at The Ranch Production House in Southampton with producer Lewis Johns.[12] The extended recording window compared to the nine days they had for their previous album The Language of Injury allowed the band to experiment.[13][12] Ithaca used both programmed and live synthesisers,including a Yamaha DX7 and a Fender Rhodes;Azzouz credited Johns with writing many of the album's synthesiser parts.[12] Johns also wrote a horn arrangement for "You Should Have Gone Back".[14] Chetan-Welsh said that Hassle "didn't ask any questions" during recording and "more or less" thanked the band when they turned the album in.[15]
Azzouz stated that Ithaca wanted to experiment with the sound of metalcore without "carbon copying" it,[9] and pay tribute to bands that inspired them.[21] The members of Ithaca's interests in djent,[6]gospel,disco,[6] and 1990s R&B music[25] served as additional influences,alongside artists including Deftones,Prince,Van Halen,and Talking Heads.[12] Chetan-Welsh drew influence from 1970s prog music and jazz,which he began listening to during the pandemic.[5] Azzouz uses more clean singing than on Ithaca's previous album,[16][22][24] having embraced it during recording after years of avoiding it by approaching it "the same way I look at screaming and use my voice as an instrument."[26]
The lyrics of They Fear Us are centred on themes of "divine feminine power",[4][12][21] empowerment,[8] revenge,[4][13] trauma,and healing.[27][28] They also deal with "male power structures",[3][27]self-discovery,and self-reflection.[9][20] The album differed from The Language of Injury as Azzouz's lyrics were directed towards others rather than herself.[13][26] Chetan-Welsh said it was structured to be mostly dark before becoming more optimistic towards the end as he believed nihilism was clichéd in metal music,[4][11] and wanted to show that trauma could be healed from. In an interview with Boolin Tunes,Chetan-Welsh summarized the album's concept:"If you seek [healing from trauma],you'll have the internal infrastructure to be able to stand in this power and that is an act of rebellion to the structure of male power."[27]
Songs
"In the Way" was intended a "revenge fantasy",[29] while "The Future Says Thank You" was written about leaving a toxic environment.[30] The latter's keyboards were intended to evoke "a specific John Carpenter/Goblin/giallo movie sound" according to Lewis,who also said that the song's call-and-response guitars and "ending off-snare" were both accidental.[14] The title track of They Fear Us is about finding and reclaiming power,[10] The song incorporates a dhol-like drum break and a field recording by Chetan-Welsh of a priest leading a Ganga Aarti ceremony—a ritual to Mother Ganga—at his mother's funeral in India.[31][32] "Camera Eats First" is about self-hatred,understanding the causes behind it,[4] and the dangers of basing one's self-perception on how others see them.[8] The song was written after a drumbeat previously used by Lewis to warm his feet up,and featured explosion noises added during recording.[14]
"Cremation Party" was written after a bassline by Moss and subsequently completed on a digital audio workstation by Lewis and Sweet;the former credited Johns for helping with its samples and turning it from a "riff soup" into a song.[14] "Number Five" was intended as a homage to Kittie,[14] while "Fluorescent" was written about Azzouz's mother's illness.[5] "You Should Have Gone Back" starts off as progressive metal before becoming post-hardcore.[33] The last track,"Hold,Be Held" featuring guest vocalist and friend of the band YanséCooper,[28] marks a drastic departure from the rest of the album and is a pop ballad[22][34] about healing,honesty,and embracing trauma.[31] Influenced by gospel and shoegaze,[18] Chetan-Welsh deliberately wrote the song in the style of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to evoke and match its themes of nostalgia and sentimentality.[35] It also drew comparisons to Bloc Party[22] and The xx.[16]
Title,artwork,and aesthetics
Azzouz stated that They Fear Us took its name from the album being more empowering than The Language of Injury,[36] and that "they" referred to those who undervalued or hurt others.[4] Inspired by the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense,[4][35] Ithaca utilised aesthetics unconventional for the metal genre in the album's artwork and music videos,[28][27] drawn from its members' Arab and Indian cultural heritages,camp,[28] "70s retro",[36]Pre-Raphaelite art,[31] and queer art and fashion.[28][36] The album's look was intended to disrupt and inspire people from different cultures in heavy music.[36]
Tying in with its themes of "divine feminine power",the album's cover presents Azzouz as a queen,seated on a throne in an orange dress with a crown,surrounded by her male bandmates in white and grey attire.[21][36] This visual was featured throughout the album's press photos and music videos.[4] Chetan-Welsh said that the rest of the band were intended as a "defensive line" behind Azzouz so that she could not be challenged.[4] He further highlighted that,by being close,holding hands and touching each other,they were communicating their own femininity and intimacy.[4][31]
Release and promotion
In December 2021,Ithaca released a teaser video for They Fear Us.[5] On 4 February 2022,the band announced the album and released its title track as its lead single.[12] A music video for the song was released on 24 February 2022.[37] Directed by Paul Cooke,the video drew inspiration from the cover art and song and references experimental cinema,religious iconography,and pre-Raphaelite paintings,according to Azzouz.[10] The album's second single,"In the Way",was released on 5 April 2022.[29] On 31 May 2022,they premiered the music video for "Camera Eats First" through Rock Sound.[8][38] "The Future Says Thank You" was released as the fourth and final single on 21 July 2022.[30] The album was released on 29 July 2022,[32] debuting at number 46 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.[39]
Prior to the album's release,Ithaca were due to tour Europe supporting MØL in February 2022,which was cancelled.[40] The band were also due to perform at 2000trees,but cancelled because Azouzz,who had moved to Berlin with her husband,was not able to get her visa approved on time.[4][40] In August 2022,Ithaca embarked on a short headlining tour of the United Kingdom;they were supported by Pupil Slicer on all but two dates.[41] After performing at the ArcTanGent festival,the band embarked on a tour of Europe with Respire.[11] In March 2023,Ithaca,Get the Shot,and Thrown embarked on the Merciless Destruction Tour of Europe.[42] The planned first show of the tour,which was due to take place at Die Stadtmitte in Karlsruhe,Germany,on 10 March,was cancelled due to a hostage situation at a nearby pharmacy.[43][44] Azzouz said that the band were locked in the venue with three other people who came early to the show,whom they drank and played card games with as police dealt with the situation. The band were allowed to leave early in the morning the following day.[43]
On 1 June 2023,Ithaca released a music video for "Fluorescent",starring British comedian Ed Gamble.[45][46] Reflecting the song's tone,the band said the video was intended to reference 1970s pop singers "who masked their trauma in the softest focus".[45] In July 2023,they performed on the main stage of 2000trees.[47] Between 23 September and 7 October 2023,the band embarked on their first and only tour of the United States,the Y'All Fear Us Tour,and performed at the Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals.[45][46] On 25 November 2023,Ithaca held a special concert at The Dome in London,"A Very Special Evening with Ithaca",where they performed They Fear Us in its entirety.[48] The band were supported by Wallowing and used keyboards,a brass section,and additional vocalists during the concert.[49]
They Fear Us received critical acclaim.[52] Emma Wilkes of Kerrang! awarded the album a perfect score,praising its diversity and heaviness.[34]BrooklynVegan reviewer Andrew Sacher called the album "one of the most inventive metalcore releases [he'd] heard this year."[16] Elliot Leaver of Metal Hammer praised Azzouz's performance and its song structures,deeming it "[a]bsolutely essential listening."[33] Antonio Poscic of PopMatters highlighted how the album made "disparate styles flow elegantly into one another" on tracks such as "You Should Have Gone Back" and "Hold,Be Held".[19]
Nat Lacuna of New Noise Magazine called the album a "radical statement piece" that shows Ithaca "pushing forward to new heights by whatever means necessary [...] letting everyone know that they are never arrogants but always assuming their rightful place."[20] Patrick Lyons of Pitchfork highlighted the progression of Ithaca's songwriting and Azzouz's vocals from The Language of Injury,stating:"They Fear Us is bolder than its predecessor—more confident in its melodies,more unconcerned with heavy music posturing—and Boden Azzouz matches this evolution in her performance:She has shifted from seething outward angst to seeking strength within."[22] In a mixed review from Sputnikmusic,Mitch Worden praised Azzouz's improved vocals and range as Ithaca's "greatest asset",but felt the album's "streamlined" production removed its songs of their staying power and "grit".[51]
According to Matt Mills of The Guardian,They Fear Us was one of 2022's "most lauded [metal] albums".[53]Kerrang! and Metal Hammer ranked it as the second and third best album of 2022,[54][55] with the latter selecting it as the year's best metalcore album.[56] Addison Herron-Wheeler of New Noise Magazine ranked it first in her list of the best "Metal and Heavy Punk" releases of 2022.[57] Sacher,in BrooklynVegan and Invisible Oranges,respectively ranked They Fear Us as the 24th best punk album and the 6th best metalcore album of 2022.[58][59]PopMatters ranked it as the sixth-best metal album of the year.[60]MetalSucks and Rock Sound also included it in their end-of-year album lists.[61][62] At the Heavy Music Awards 2023,They Fear Us and its title track received respective nominations for "Best Production" and "Best Single",although they won neither award.[63][64]
↑ Hobson, Rich; Leaver, Elliot; Brennan, Adam; Hill, Stephen; Young, Nik; Whelan, Kez; Mills, Matt; Leivers, Dannii (17 December 2022). "The 10 best metalcore albums of 2022". Metal Hammer. Louder. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
1 2 3 4 Holst, Tobias (2 August 2022). "Optimismens budskab"[The Message of Optimism]. Devilution (in Danish). Archived from the original on 12 October 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
1 2 Dougherty, Calder (28 July 2022). "The Anatomy Of: Ithaca". Heavy Blog is Heavy. Archived from the original on 11 October 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
↑ Weaver, James (27 April 2022). "Ithaca announce UK tour". Distorted Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
↑ Beebee, Steve; Carter, Emily; Hickie, James; Law, Sam; Morton, Luke; Richardson, Jake; Ruskell, Nick; Sutherland, Mark; Thomas, Olly; Wilkes, Emma; Winwood, Ian (19 December 2022). "The 50 best albums of 2022". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
↑ Hobson, Rich; O'Boyle, Tom; McFee, Edwin; Chillingworth, Alec; Daly, Joe; Brennan, Adam; Travers, Paul; Hill, Stephen; Maughan, Sophie (26 December 2022). "The 50 best metal albums of 2022". Metal Hammer. Louder. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
↑ Hobson, Rich; Leaver, Elliot; Brennan, Adam; Hill, Stephen; Young, Nik; Whelan, Kez; Mills, Matt; Leivers, Dannii (17 December 2022). "The 10 best metalcore albums of 2022". Metal Hammer. Louder. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
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