Minneapolis loud indie post hardcore rockers CAREFUL GAZE released a full length called You Too Will Rest in 2019, four standalone singles and a book this year, and this month they are releasing a follow-up EP on December 18th. “LOUD HOWLS THE ETERNAL WOLF!” was written, brought to life, and recorded during the pandemic in 2020 and marks their second major collection of songs, one of which, dubbed “Forest Art”, we’re stoked to give you in our special feature below.
After a lineup change left the band as a three-piece, they became closer than ever as a band and worked closely together to create something that they feel is the truest representation of their passions and art that they have ever released.
CAREFUL GAZE started under a different name (Hunter Dumped Us Here) in 2013 as a solo project that quickly turned to a full piano-driven rock band. Over time their sound and lineup changed and after one full length release in 2016, they changed their name to CAREFUL GAZE in 2018 and began to pursue a heavier / darker sound than they previously had.
“We put out the singles Wolf / Greyed in 2018, our full length in 2019, and four singles in 2020. We also released a book with one of those singles called When I Leave, a short horror/thriller novel that will be an ongoing storyline we expand on in 2021.” – comments vocalist/bassist Gabe.
πβπ ππππ’π π‘ππ‘ππ ππ π‘ππππ ππππ πππππππ π΅ππππ’π ππππ π΄ππππππ: π΄ ππππβπππ¦, π€βππβ ππππ’π‘πππ’πππ¦ ππππππ‘π π‘βπ πππ π‘ππ’ππ‘πππ ππ π π πππππ‘π¦.
– explains the band.
“This EP is very inspired by the things we see as wrong happening in our society; largely inequality across the board and the fact that we seem to, as a human race, focus only on ourselves and our immediate surroundings, and not what our outcome will be as humans overall.”
“Living in the city in which George Floyd lived and died had a huge impact on us this year and uncovered a lot more corruption and evil, both close to home and around the world. We felt it important to address these things. Sonically, our influences come from a wide array of artists, from Glassjaw to The Mountain Goats to Hum. We tried to channel our emotions of restlessness, disdain, depression, and anger into something accessible and meaningful, both in terms of music and message.”
Recorded at Sunken City Studios in Minneapolis, MN in fall of 2020. Careful Gaze is Gabe Reasoner on vocals, bass, and guitar / Preston West on guitar / Aslan Denbow on guitar and bass.
There is something evil in these woods
Waiting for us to falter, (here it goes)
When our breath becomes ragged and our throats are lined with fire
It will speak to us from every directionAnger – at the edge of the clearing
Where sight ends and sense begins
It calls me ever- inward
Converting those like me, into
Exhibit A for purging the all the earthCHORUS
Sadness – as I hear my loved ones calling
Will they see my footsteps in the Spring
I hope they love the real me,
Not the images they’re fed straight from
That blue light that translates my memoryCHORUS
It says
βYou will become my art
You will paint the forest floor
You donβt deserve the earth
It donβt love you anymoreβIn another decade, they will find it
Humans turned into bloody mural
WIth a single message beneath these decomposing leavesβYou all created me.β
There is something evil in these woods
Waiting for us to falter, (here it goes)
When our breath becomes ragged and our throats are lined with fire
It will say “bow down and pray your fucking prayers”There is something evil in these woods
Waiting for us to falter, (here it goes)
When our breath becomes ragged and our throats are lined with fire
With our final breath we will see the hidden truth, we are the evil in these woods
No live shows from CAREFUL GAZE are planned due to COVID, but of course once it’s safe to tour again the band will be doing their best to make it all over the US and hopefully further. In the meantime, you can follow them for the occasional livestream show at twitch.tv/carefulgaze, and/or watch their album release performance on YouTube, coming out on December 17th!
Almost all of local scenes have obviously taken a hit as most have with the pandemic with some venues closing, but the band says that “the Minneapolis / Saint Paul music scene is very large and very strong and I have faith that it will come back as the beautiful, artistic community it was before once it’s possible.”
“Special shout out to Here 4lyf, a local mental health awareness organization that has been very supportive of our music and helped put together events pre-pandemic with us, and also The Atlantis Theorem, which contains Ben Tosel and Sam Howell, who helped us out as the rest of our band for our live performance. Sam also runs Sunken City Studios, where we recorded the album. Scott Jarvie is an excellent local sound engineer that recorded and mixed our live set as well as many previous ones.”
Asked about their best records of the year, vocalist and bassist Gabe gave us his top picks:
“Caspian‘s album On Circles was one of my (Gabe’s) favorites this year.”
“Please check out Rot‘s new album …As One. Arrold, their vocalist, did guest vocals on our track from our new EP, Sunday Special.”
The band is currently running a Patreon where they offer a podcast, extra originals, new covers every month, and a private CG community.
Check it out/join at patreon.com/carefulgaze.
To conclude, the band shared a playlist of a continuous feed of CAREFUL GAZE tracks woth looking into, and you can play them all through the playlist below:
Hungry for more? Check out this extra playlist of influential artists that will halp you shape your inspiration for 2021:
Sound! sound! my loud war-trumpets, and alarm my Thirteen Angels!
Loud howls the Eternal Wolf! the Eternal Lion lashes his tail!βThus wept the Angel voice, and as he wept the terrible blasts
Of trumpets blew a loud alarm across the Atlantic deep.
No trumpets answer; no reply of clarions or of fifes:
Silent the Colonies remain and refuse the loud alarm.– William Blake, 1793
