U.S. post-hardcore rising stars LIMBS will release their lyrically intimate and sonically pummeling new EP Coma Year on June 24 on UNFD. The band have recently shared the visualizer for “Slow Burn,” a deeply personal track that explores what it’s like to navigate the struggles of having panic disorder and anxiety, and how to emerge with strength and hope.
The song charges forward with post-hardcore melodies and relentless riffing, building up to an epic breakdown at just over two minutes in. It’s truly a cleansing and cathartic sonic experience.
To celebrate the upcoming release of the EP on June 24 on UNFD, we have teamed up with the band to give you a brief, yet insightful track by track commentary below. Scroll further down to check it out.
“‘Slow Burn‘ is a first-hand account of dealing with anxiety and panic disorder,” says vocalist Austin McAuley.
“It lays out the inner struggle of combating all stages of a panic attack and the mental anguish that follows. In the moment that an attack reaches its peak, it feels like my heart is going to stop; like I have no control over the events taking place. From my racing pulse to blurred vision and cold sweats, it seems impossible that I’ll ever make it out on top. But in the end, I always find a way to bring myself out of it, somehow able to find the strength to carry on. But that strength is so easily forgotten whenever another episode arises.”
LIMBS, who have enjoyed editorial praise and support from the likes of Brooklyn Vegan, Revolver, Wall of Sound, Metal Injection, and more on previous releases, including the 2020 EP Only The Lonely Know, which now boasts a total of 1.2 million streams in its own right, will hit the road in the U.S. this June on a co-headline run with Greyhaven. All dates are below.
6/3 — Amityville, NY — Amityville Music Hall
6/4 — Brooklyn, NY — Knitting Factory
6/5 — Philadelphia, PA — Kung Fu Necktie
6/7 — Pittsburgh, PA — Preserving Underground
6/8 — Columbus, OH — Big Room Bar
6/9 — Louisville KY — Mag Bar
6/10 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade
6/11 — Orlando, FL — Henao Center
6/12 — Jacksonville, FL — Archetype
6/14 — Austin, TX — Empire Control Room
6/15 — Dallas, TX — Three Links
6/17 — Mesa, AZ — The Underground
6/18 — Anaheim, CA — Chain Reaction
6/19 — Sacramento, CA — Goldfield
6/21 — Salt Lake City, UT — Beehive
6/22 — Denver, CO — Lost Lake
6/24 — Chicago, IL — Beat Kitchen
Coma Year Inspirations, by vocalist Austin McAuley:
Each track was inspired by different personal struggles and experiences I faced over the last several years.
The loss of my father served as the catalyst for songs like Mortality Moment, Vertigo and the title track Coma Year. The songs dance around the idea of facing my own mortality, having been forced to recognize the finite nature of existence from experiencing loss on such a grand scale.
A heavy mix of anger, regret, hopelessness and childhood memories were at the forefront of the track Spirit Breaker. I lost one of my closest friends to a drug overdose and the song follows the last conversation he and I had before his passing.
If I Go Before You was derived from one of my greatest fears; passing away before my wife and leaving her behind, as well as a daydream I had about us together by the water, sitting and watching one last sunset together.
Blood&Heel and Slow Burn were inspired by the pandemic and the overwhelming anxiety, depression and uncertainty that came with it. Being isolated from the world around me and never knowing if I’d be able to continue playing music offered new fears and despair piled on top of previous traumas.
The entire album navigates all of the things I fear the most: Perpetual loss, grief, sorrow and mortality.
