Japanese post-hardcore legends envy have released ‘Whiteout’; the latest single from their forthcoming album, ‘Eunoia’, set for release on 11th October through Berlin’s Pelagic Records.
Having witnessed so much change over their 32 year career, envy have remained a steadfast and dominant force within the country’s boundary-pushing heavy scene and beyond. With their original roots in thrash-metal and screamo still worn proudly on their sleeves, the band have steadily evolved their sound to incorporate euphoric elements of post-rock and shoegaze to spectacular effect.
As the band’s 8th full-length release, ‘Eunoia’ is truly a landmark album; the perfect balance of aggression and elation that sees the band’s revitalised lineup exploring a latent sense of powerlessness in the face of a fractured and increasingly divisive world.
Six years ago founding envy members Nobukata Kawai and Manabu Nakagawa were joined by new members yOshi, Yoshimitsu Taki and Hiroki Watanabe before the freshly bolstered five piece were reunited onstage in a surprise return of the band’s original frontman, Tetsuya Fukagawa. This meeting of creative minds, between hardcore’s esteemed old guard and the latest generation to emerge from Japan’s innovative post-hardcore community, has subsequently seen envy reprise the abrasive thrash of early releases such as 1998’s genre-defining ‘From Here to Eternity’ before imbuing it with lived experience, dynamic patience and the eerie uncertainty of the contemporary.
‘Whiteout’ channels envy’s frenetic origins with a pummelling drum solo introducing staccato post-hardcore guitar work and vocals that oscillate freely between guttural roar and a rush of spoken words. Written impulsively in under two hours, the track’s breathtaking about-turn to slow-burning shoegaze crescendo is testament not only to the ability of a band in their element but to the vast array of experience and influence that envy can now call upon.
Consisting only of songs that the band can and will play on stage, ‘Eunoia’ was written around the idea of searching for hope and inspiration from day to day life whilst feeling powerless against the weight of the world. As such, the band expected their conscious use of minor keys and Tetsuya’s candid, diary-like lyrics to produce a despairing and remorseful record. However, whilst these emotions are keenly felt, the album feels far from defeated. ‘Eunoia’ is a modern day masterpiece from a band with a storied past who have learnt to cherish the now as a means of bracing themselves for whatever happens next.
‘Eunoia’ is released on the 11th October, 2024
Nobukata Kawai on ‘Whiteout’:“I shared some short phrases with the band and we ended up writing the whole song based on those alone. The foundations of the song were completed in about an hour and a half, which was easily the fastest songwriting process for this album. I also came up with the mid-section arrangement on the spot, which is my favourite part. It felt like we were playing a song that already existed.”
Tetsuya Fukagawa:“When I first heard the parts from Nobu, I immediately felt the intensity behind the song so I started writing lyrics right away and finished them in a few hours. Everything about ‘Whiteout’ came together so effortlessly, it just feels like a natural envy track.”
