Release Date: July 17, 2020
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Pop Punk
Label: SounDrive Records
Toronto, Ontario’s rising post-hardcore band Words Like Wildfire have released their brand new effort, Classic Tragedy. The band formed in 2017 by vocalist Ian Archer, bassist and vocalist A.J. Chmilar, guitarist Cody Wood, and drummer Avery Mocha. Words Like Wildfire has garnered much success the past three years, including opening slots for such acts as Secrets, Picturesque, Silent Planet, and even playing the Toronto date on the 2018 edition of the Vans Warped Tour. Unlike their previous collection of music on their 2017 debut EP, Quarter Life Crisis, the band shift themselves towards a more defined mix of pop-punk and post-hardcore with these five brand new tunes they’ve worked very hard on getting out to listeners. Classic Tragedy was recorded at Room 21 Sound in Toronto. It was produced, engineered, and mixed by Sam Guaiana (Silverstein, Rarity) and finally mastered by the legendary mastering engineer Ted Jensen, who has worked on more than a few hundred albums over his extensive career.
Classic Tragedy begins with the strong opening number, and lead single, “The Rain.” The track covers the topic of depression, which vocalist Ian Archer gets across with the open and honest lyrics, “So I’m drowning in the rain again / Dim or sunny skies alike won’t change this morbid mood I’m in / I’ll have you know, I’m a mess / Back to the thick of it, down with the ship again.” The following track on the effort is, “Painted Pictures,” which is also the EP’s second single. The song gives off the relatively same vibe as the opening track, but with some very melodic and methodical guitar stylings in its pre-chorus. Additionally what sounds like a xylophone or a similar instrument is featured on the entirety of the song. The track also features fellow Toronto vocalist Luke Snider, of the progressive metalcore band The Parallel.
The EP’s title track, “Classic Tragedy,” is prominently a tad heavier than the other tracks on the effort so far, showcasing more screaming vocals and heavier instrumentation that’s reminiscent of their previous EP, Quarter Life Crisis. On the title track, Archer is singing about addiction and substance abuse. Something that can be heard directly in his lyrics, “A faint glimmer of faith / Sometimes is all it takes / But you need to stop waking up / With eyes clouded by substance.” “Shake The Fear” features the one and only, Kellin Quinn. The frontman for the post-hardcore/alternative rock band Sleeping With Sirens. “Shake The Fear” is the band’s latest single, debuting the music video this past week on AltPress. On the track, the band is trying to convey that you are never alone in anything you or anything is going through. The song’s subject matter touches on becoming lost and out of touch with one’s self, and the challenges to work your way through the struggles of everyday life alone. The final track on Classic Tragedy is the song, “I Won’t Forgive You.” The song starts off slow with a very vulnerable and emotional feel until the song picks up for the perfect send-off.
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