There have been so many outstanding records and artists exploring the fruitful territory between post metal, hardcore, black metal, shoegaze and post rock that you wouldn’t say there’s too much room for explorartory sonic experiments in this field, and yet Brighton based EARTH MOVES has crafted a one hell of a bold effort on their own. We are incredibly stunned to have the opportunity to premiere the full stream of the band’s debut offering ‘The Truth In Our Bodies’, a breathtaking adventure that emotionally overloads the listener with a melancholy-inducing experience. “The Truth In Our Bodies” is the band’s triumphant and visceral inauguration, encapsulating the grief, catharsis, recovery, and various different feelings and emotions. Listen below and scroll further down to read out brief interview, including a track-by-track feature!
“The Truth In Our Bodies” by EARTH MOVES is out November 4th through Truthseeker and Holy Roar Records in the UK, and Through Love Records in Germany.
Earth Moves‘ debut album ‘The Truth In Our Bodies’ boasts an abundance of musical influences. Whilst being rooted in metal and hardcore, they also incorporate elements of shoegaze, screamo and post rock. Made up of guitarist, Samuel Ricketts, vocalist Jordan Hill, bassist Mark Portnoi and drummer Gary Marsden, Earth Moves flows in movements shaped by the dynamic performances, shifting energy and mood akin to human temperament.
This deeply personal album is laced with recurring themes of grief, loss and longing which is beautifully reinforced by Jordan’s impassioned and moving vocal performance. ‘The Truth in Our Bodies’ is a statement of intent for Earth Moves, and showcases a band who in their short life have already matured enough to create a record which is incredibly musically diverse; split perfectly between moments that are equally both intimate and expansive.
‘The Truth in Our Bodies’ was recorded by Joe Clayton (Old Skin, Caïna) at Nø Studio, near Strangeways Prison in Manchester and was mastered by Brad Boatright (Converge, Yob, Old Man Gloom, Stranger Things) at Audiosiege in Portland, Oregon. The album will be available on November 4th from Truthseeker Music in the UK and Through Love Records in Germany.
Hey gentlemen! Thank you so much for the opportunity to host this exciting premiere. The experience of “The Truth In Our Bodies “ is piurely remarkable. It reminds me of the whirl of emotions that had kept me awake after getting acquainted with EPHEMERA or VI SOM ÄLSKADE VARANDRA SÅ MYCKET. Though experimenting with a different set of sonic tools and textures, your new effort looks and sounds really amazing. Please tell us a bit about the path that led you to this release, your evolution as artists and how are you proud with this record.
Sam (guitar) : I think a seed for Earth Moves was planted when Gary filled in on drums for my previous band Grappler a few years ago. Early last year we got together to work on some material I’d been working on, initially without the intention of becoming a ‘band’. After a few rehearsals Mark joined on bass; I still remember feeling super nervous as I’ve been a big fan of Mark & Gary’s other band We Never Learned to Live for years! We quickly found ourselves with a finished album, an actual band name (‘Earth Moves’ is taken from Benjamin Britten’s opera ‘Peter Grimes’, if you’ve never seen/heard it, please try to!) but no vocalist! Gary & Mark got in touch with Jordan who they’d previously played in a GLASSJAW covers band with (!), and things clicked straight away.
Despite most of the album originating on guitar, each member’s contribution is full of character and vital to the album as a whole. I think we’ve all really enjoyed putting an album together which traverses many different moods and atmospheres, as well as the chance to indulge influences from genres we’ve maybe not had the chance to before (shoegaze, doom, screamo, classical, the list goes on!). While live shows had never been something I’d been considering initially; performing songs so personal has been nothing but rewarding thus far!
How about the lyrical content for the record? What stores and messages are you delivering through your music?
Jordan (vocals) : The albums lyrical content is centred around personal grief and hardship and trying to accept and overcome those feelings. I’ve always listened to other artists work and attached my personal thoughts and feelings to their songs to match how I may feel at that moment and I would invite any listener to do that with our work. It’s an intense journey and a very cathartic process for myself.
Can you drop us a quick track-by-track feature and share your thoughts on every single track from ‘The Truth In Our Bodies’?
Omen – I’ve always liked albums and live shows that start with short and easy to digest intros, whether it’s something short and heavy on a hardcore record or something ambient and very melodic. I think Omen sets the scene nicely, and meant I get to show a few doom influences!
House of Flowers – This was the first single from the album, and probably encapsulates all aspects of our sound within a (proportionally) short 6 minutes. I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the memory of the old Marshall JMP amp which died a noble death during the recording of the lead part at the end of this track.
Iridescent – It was a real pleasure to have Sean from We Never Learned to Live guest on this track. His lyrics and style fit in really well. Like most of the tracks on the record it takes quite a few twists and turns, ending with what we now know as ‘the big riff’.
There Is An Apple Orchard Here – When beginning work on songs, I usually give them working titles which I find interesting or evocative (often taken from books, films, etc) as I find it helps me engage with them early on. This track is a good example of that, although I have no idea where I got the name… This song remains pretty much unchanged from our first few times performing it at rehearsal, just three chords throughout!
Pia Mater – This is the last song of our live set, and probably the most personal and visceral on the album. This track probably came together most organically when writing together; as the ending gradually unfolded, becoming more and more unsettling on each play through. It’s a personal favourite of ours to play live, the final heavy section in particular.
Breathing Solemnity In the Deep Night – The opening guitar part of this is something I’ve found myself picking out for a good few years so it was nice that it’s found a home! We experimented a little more with time signatures and modulating key in this song. I like the way this track ends the album, relatively tranquil at first but ending up both triumphant and crestfallen.
Thanks you! Lastly, where and when will be able to catch you guys live?
We have a run of shows with our UK label mates Rope beginning this Saturday, and are currently in the process of confirming a run of dates in Europe at the start of December. While we have no concrete plans as yet, we’re hoping 2017 will have plenty more!
Thanks so much for the quick chat. Please feel free to wrap it up with your closing thoughts, other bands recommendations and credits that you feel deserve our attention here. Cheers from Warsaw!
We’d like to send extra special thanks to :
Joe Clayton – the nicest guy, and a dream to work with. yes c’mon!
Alex, Steve & Phill @ Truthseeker Music & Paul @ Through Love Records – for their time and belief in our band!
Rodrigo Almanegra – for the stunning artwork.
Mark & Gary also play in We Never Learned to Live, Sam plays in Cloud Boat & Cult Cinema and Jordan sings in Young Tide.
An assortment of bands worthy of your time and ears (some of which we’re proud to have performed alongside already!) : PIJN, ROPE, FALL OF MINERVA, EMPLOYED TO SERVE, HUMAN FUTURE, THE TIDAL SLEEP, SVALBARD, GROUP OF MAN, EULOGY, ITHACA, MY PROJECT GHOST, CAVALCADES, CADY, UNDERDARK, CONJURER, DAWN RAY’D, SONANCE.
