Portland, Oregon based hardcore punks CUTTING THROUGH (members of GO IT ALONE, BLUE MONDAY, UNRESTRAINED) have recently dropped a new track called “Reflect”, the first single from their upcoming 12” EP “A Will to Change”, slated for a September release on New Age Records! We have caught up with them to shed more light on the record and the lyrics of “Reflect”, a driving, passionate and personal howl that adds considerable weight to the band’s
The band commented on the record:
The new 12″ EP “A will to change” is our first official release and we are very excited about it. Our sound is influenced by a couple of eras namely late 1980’s New York hardcore and with this release we decided to take notes from early 1990’s west coast hardcore. It seemed very fitting that New Age is releasing the record. Their catalogue is full of amazing bands from Powerhouse, Turning Point and Mouthpiece. We are grateful to be a part of the label.
And shared the details on the content of the track:
The song reflect is about the inherent tendencies and similarities between my father and I, coming to terms with them, acknowledging what flaws I have, and moving forward with them. My father passed away in 2003 from liver failure due to drinking, even though he had issues, and had been warned many times that he had to stop. I never grew up in a family that discussed emotions, but I could always see that my father was dealing with a lot pain both emotionally and physically. He turned to drinking to ignore and not deal with those issues head on. I have chosen the opposite path, and opted to deal with them head on and move forward. The last part of the song, “Ashes of the dead. Fares the way he had tread”, are excerpts from the Uraga Jataka. The line in the Jakata is “No friends lament can touch the ashes of the dead. Why should I grieve. He fares the way he had to tread.”. In summary it mean that no amount of grieving or sorrow can reach someone who is dead. The deceased person made their decisions in life, and their path is set forward because of those decisions. I have thus decided to try and make preemptive decisions so that my life does not go down the same path as his.
Lyrics:
You take your hurt and scars
Drown it away
Subsidize your problems
Day by day
Impressions made on me
Shaped my future thoughts
And to this day
My world falls apartI still see your face
A part of you, is a part of me
Cant control our debauchery
Tendencies get the best of me
Accept my flaws, choose my destinyClosure
Time to tryReflect
On your lifeDeath
And birth
Are the sameAshes of the dead
Fares the way he had tread
Hailing from the small town of Portland, Oregon, Cutting Through is a band several years in the making. Singer Driggs and guitarist Kyle blueprinted the vision for the band. The basis for the band being a rekindling for an era where hardcore was anthemic and had emphasis on message. The band values the opportunity to speak out on injustice and the shortcomings of the our current social climate. Cutting Through seeks the connection between listener and group, being actively engaged in spreading a message of optimism and the idea that we have the ability to improve ourselves and the surroundings around us.
