Following the recent release of their two double singles, “Restart / Nie Ma Gdzie Iść”, and “Żółć / Pomniki Papieża“, alternative post hardcore band BROOKS WAS HERE arrives with “Brak Kontaktu / Prochy“, the third installment to their successful series. If the second installment was surprisingly engaging, then this new offering is at least interesting and offers another alternate take on the post hardcore genre, proving the band to be versatile and really well-rounded. Today, we’re giving it a special closer look, with the band’s track by track commentary and their picks for some of the Polish bands worth looking into.
BROOKS WAS HERE (BWH) is a music project founded in 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. Over a decade of activity, the band’s lineup has changed various times, along with its music style, ranging from classic emo/indie-rock, through screamo-punk, to heavy and raw math-core.
The project has included musicians from bands such as: The Spouds, Złota Jesień, Hanako, Native Lungs, Karate Free Stylers, Wild Books, Sklepy Cynamonowe, Sick Parrot, Melisa, Strup, and Raban. Throughout the years BWH have played and recorded as a power-trio, as a quartet, with one guitar, two guitars, and with lyrics both in English and Polish.
Two core ideas have united musicians involved – no limits and DIY.
BWH have played dozens of shows in Poland and abroad, performing both in squats and local music clubs in the spirit of DIY, and at large music festivals. In 2016, the band went on hiatus, only to come back stronger in 2021, with brand new music and yet again with a new line-up. Musically, it still is post-hardcore at the core, where you’ll hear the influence of bands such as At The Drive-in or Fugazi, with elements of modern hardcore and punk. Raw and aggressive guitars, a galloping rhythm section and charismatic and emotional vocals. The lyrics are a harsh commentary on the socio-political situation in Poland and personal struggles.
The new BWH album was recorded by Michał Ścibior at Wieloślad Studios in Warsaw, Poland. Haldor Grunberg from Satanic Audio was responsible for mixing and mastering the tracks.The full-album will be released by Peleton Records in 2022.
Brak kontaktu
This song is about a difficult moment in my life, but I believe it has a positive message. I see it as a reminder for myself that dealing with difficult experiences is a process. Even after successfully finishing therapies, such as pharmacotherapy or insight therapy, we can still feel terrible about ourselves. Once you reach a certain level of stability, it may not last forever. Without accepting it, we suffer not only from causes beyond our control, but also because we suffer. By allowing ourselves to suffer, we paradoxically suffer less. If I were to summarize this song’s message in one sentence, this would be it: allow yourself to experience different emotions and take care of yourself as best you as can.
Brak Kontaktu (No Contact) Lyrics:
I hear the screams of once-open threads
(though it’s not a real scream)
I feel as if I’m seeing fire in a fuse factory
(and counting down the seconds till the bombs go off)
It has been better, but once again
parts of me are out of touch
It has been better, but once again
It has been better, but once again
bits of me are like stop kidding around
It has been better, but once again
All the versions of me keep fading, fading
Like a product that’s expiring, expiring
The fear when it gets brighter, brighter
At night I can’t fall asleep, asleep
The absence when our bodies speak for us
(one gesture can have the power of a thousand words)
I don’t want to see wounds anymore
(but I don’t know the plans the wounds have for me)
I will be waiting until when again
time will allow me to wrap it up
I will be waiting until when again
I will be waiting until when again
the whole mess will drain out of me
I will be waiting until when again
All the versions of me keep fading, fading
Like a product that’s expiring, expiring
The fear when it gets brighter, brighter
At night I can’t fall asleep, asleep
Prochy
Interpersonal relationships are one of the topics I tend to use the most to write lyrics. Initially I was planning on naming this song “Normal People” because even though it was written before I read Sally Rooney’s book, I’ve already seen the kind of relationship that It describes. A relationship where a lot happens, but without the self-awareness of the parties involved. The dynamics of this situation simultaneously disappoint and satisfy many basic needs, which makes it difficult to address it unambiguously. Many people have experienced similar relationships, and although they are far from ideal, they turn out to be formative for our lives at a later stage.
Ashes (Prochy) lyrics:
I see you in bad dreams, and me like a helpless chick
I’m not sure I can survive
Our images scarred by comebacks and rejections
Stitch them up, rip them apart
Into splinters into shreds, for who will be next
The next conversations like a busted vent
I want to take it apart, but I don’t have the tools
Over and over again
It’s empty by now
It’s empty by now
It’s empty by now
It’s empty by now
We live in the dunes of suffocated confessions
It’s really a bad place, I think you’ve just left
I hear the sound of fanfares, a prize in the category of
let go, pick it up
It’s empty by now
It’s empty by now
It’s empty by now
It’s empty by now
I let myself not to know how
I let myself not to know how
I let myself not to know how
I let myself not to know how
How to lay it out on a hundred pages
How to scatter it across a hundred pages
How to gather it from a hundred pages
I wonder what might possibly grow
Ashes left by counting up ends
Will grow roots hundred feet deep
I’m so glad we have grown
Flowers in our garden, those for the grave
5 Polish bands you should know, by BROOKS WAS HERE:
Ugory
Mateusz: The members of Ugory are not only extremely talented and versatile musicians, but also good people who are very important to me. I am lucky to have been following them from their very first concert. Ugory is a band that I watch play regularly, at least once a year, and they keep getting better every time. It is a real cathartic wall of sound without falling into pathos and banality. Robert Śliwka, their lead singer, not only screams, but also gives the impression of a man through whom all possible emotions of the world pass. As a result, I myself feel the freedom to experience everything at their concerts. I left their last concert feeling as if I had been born again. Apart from Ugory, the members of this crew play in bands such as Gołębie, Soil Troth, Próchno, Profeci, Ulica, Flexi Geng and Qx.
SIKSA
Mateusz: A very talented duo active in the fields of music, poetry, fashion and theater. Sometimes also dance and visual arts. Buri is an extraordinary musician with wide horizons, and Alex is a performer, singer and poet whose lyrics always go straight to the heart.
Aporia
Mateusz: One of the first hardcore bands that help us out. The secret ingredient in Aporia, in my opinion, is simply honesty. Bart covers topics popular in the hardcore scene in his lyrics, but the way he does it is unique.
Love Glove
Majkel: This is an example of a great band with great people playing. If you are one of the kids who grew up with Deftones music, this is a must-have on your playlist. Great compositions, good production and incredibly strong live acts. On stage, the guys play relaxed and completely natural. They know from start to finish what they want to achieve and how. A very mature team. Highly recommended.
Pavement Pizza
Majkel: Pavement Pizza is a rock’n’roll circus! Fantastic band with the pope-drummer and a zombie-cowboy playing bass. Explosive surf-rock, punk and garage rock cocktail. You have to see them live. Definitely one of my fav Polish bands!
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