HELLGO’s debut full-length album Etiquette is a manifesto for the wounded, the weary, and those navigating the bleak undercurrents of human existence. Sounds like something you could relate to? Well, slated for release on December 13, 2024, via Octopus Rising and Argonauta Records, this record distills years of experience, collective pain, and post hardcore creativity into seven gripping tracks, and we happen to have the full premiere and a special track by track rundown below!
Born in late 2020 from the remnants of the Genoa-based bands NAAT and CRTVTR, HELLGO began as an instrumental trio comprised of Frenk (guitar), Mitch (bass), and Gio (drums). The pandemic-imposed isolation gave them the opportunity to shape their sound—a fusion of hardcore with the crushing weight of post-metal and sludge.
Later joined by Ale (guitar) and Fish (vocals), the band solidified their lineup and their vision, channeling their collective struggles into what would become Etiquette.
“We needed something sharper,” the band explains. “Fish’s vocals brought the final piece to the puzzle, completing our sound and giving the music the emotional weight it demanded.”
Recorded at Greenfog Studio in Genoa by Mattia Cominotto, Etiquette is a visceral dive into themes of despair, alienation, and the masks we wear to navigate a world that often doesn’t care.
“Etiquette is a hymn to despair.” – says the band. “Dedicated to the surrenders, the fearful. It’s the cold embrace that reaches you when you’re down.
It’s the last wound you cannot heal. So take off your smiling mask and quit acting like all is fine… No one cares anyway.”
Track by track:
Worn Out is the first sample of what we meant talking about “hymn to despair”: you have to show yourself strong and confident, but are you really that kind of person? Isn’t it conflictual? Who you really are? You should be able to accept yourself, you should work on it.
Wait! is about the end of a relationship (any kind of relationship) and the pain you feel when everything seems to fade away. Failed expectations, trust betrayed and so on… You gotta find the strength to go ahead.
In The Waves: current times are hectic, you must be perfect, always looking like all is fine when reality is different indeed. Only a few people care about how the “true you” really feels, knowing who the “true you” really is.
The Present Is Not Enough… Never enough for the ones who struggle with their demons. This song is about that kind of daily battle. About that fulfilling silence that stucks when you remain alone. Surely the darkest track of the entire record, talking about the lyrics.
Water False: in your like you’ll probably realize you’ve met a considerable amount of fake persons, it’s part of the game. On the other hand, some people deserve your trust, so you’ve got to learn those you can count on. This is another song about relationships.
Plastic Ego: “We all live in boxes, inside bigger boxes”. It’s about how much we disrespect overstructures and masks. That fucking marathon that many ones run, simply to appear. They want to show at all costs an appeasement that, in the end, doesn’t exist, to please the others and arouse envy.
The Faded Light Of My Past is an introspective song. Loneliness is a value. How many of you do understand it? This song travels the whole process to accept this truth. The hardest part is to realize and accept it.
HELLGO have shared the stage with bands like ISAAK, BLACK RAINBOWS, and TROPICAL FUCK STORM, earning a reputation for their crushing sound and raw performances.
With a European tour in 2025, HELLGO is poised to bring their brand of post-hardcore-infused despair to a wider audience. Stay tuned for more details.
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