Seattle based ear-wrenching hardcore band GREAT FALLS (members of Kiss It Goodbye, Undertow, Playing Enemy, Bastard Feast and Gaytheist) have just dropped their new intense EP “Funny What Survives” and we instantly reached out to get some more details about this beast of a record.
The EP wastes no time in making its presence known, immersing the listener in a frenzied barrage of riffs and blast beats reminiscent of bands like Converge. The tempo changes are dizzying, veering from furious aggression to melancholic introspection in a matter of seconds. By the time the EP draws to a close, the listener is left reeling, hungry to experience it all over again.
One track that stands out is “Stage Health,” which features angular riffs that recall bands like Botch, but with a unique twist. The EP as a whole is one of the best releases of the year, leaving the listener eagerly anticipating more from the artist.
Speaking about their current line-up, the band reported that late in 2021 they parted ways with their drummer. “We were closing in on a full-length and convinced our friend Nickolis Parks (Gaytheist, Bastard Feast) to record the drums for us in the spring of 2022.” – comments Great Falls.
“Our space is in Seattle and Nick lives about three hours away, right outside of Portland. He’s an incredibly quick learner and we still had a lot of practices without him, so we decided to keep writing. These three tracks, and two others we haven’t released yet, were just this whirlwind of writing short, visceral songs and then presenting them to Nick. And what he added to them is one of the reasons why he became a permanent member almost immediately.”
The cover art for the EP was created by the artist Bill Koeb, who has a really incredible career in comics and other work.
“We just thought the image was really striking, and since these songs are from the same session as the LP, it’s also reminiscent of that yet-to-be-released cover.” – commets the band.
T
Track by track commentary, with details on each song, its creative process and lyrical content
Misery Lights
This song sort of just came together and we felt it was missing something and left it alone for a couple weeks. Then one day we added that screaming, pseudo-grind intro and all of sudden it became an ideal opening song. The sounds during the guitar break are thanks to our collaborator John Schork, who has his own, incredible project, Half Majesty.
Lyrics (Demian): I’m pretty nervous about how the end of my life might go. I worry about how I may lose my faculties or even my ability to recognize my family and friends. I’m scared of being a burden and I am scared of losing who I am. I already have a mind that is unfocused and riddled with paranoia so I don’t really see the end of my life going so well.
Stage Health
We tend to fall into some of the same song structures, especially in the first half, so we tried to push back against that and barrel through as fast as we could to get to the end. We don’t really do “jud-jud” parts, so we were excited when we figured out how to add some of them to the final riff.
Lyrics (Demian)- I have become well aware that I am now the “old guy,” or at least older guy, at the bars and coffee shops I visit. I generally try to just keep to myself when I am in these situations but I sometimes see guys my own age creeping on the much younger bartenders and baristas. It makes me uncomfortable to know how easily I could be one of these guys; how my own insecurities could suddenly ruin someone’s day, someone who is basically held captive by their job and can’t just walk away from some creep who is a patron. I don’t want to become this type of person.
Up to the Gums
We like weird rhythms, and after we landed on this one we sort of built the rest of the song around it. John Schork sent us a really amazing melody line to fit over the end (which may be the best part of the EP), and he actually sent us so many layers we were able to take a few and make them into a noise intro.
Lyrics(Demian) – Without getting too specific, I really despise my current material conditions. I am better off than most but I live in a situation that is very damaging to my health and happiness. Due to factors outside of my control I am basically helpless to fix them. I can’t do much more than to scream about it to strangers.
