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| Source: Certainty Band Official Facebook Page / © Alex Lam |
London, Ontario's Certainty set their first full-length album free into the world earlier this month, titled 'Temporary Love', produced by Cory Bergeron and Joey Demer. While swimming closely to the likes of Citizen and Bearings in the veins of pop-punk, Certainty approach their music with a delicacy and adoration that is few and far between nowadays. They are aware that the alternative scene is a competitive one but are determined to stay distinct, 'I think what separates us from everyone else is that we aren't afraid to push boundaries. We don't like to pigeon-hole ourselves to one genre and love to add lots of flavour to our music. Also, each person is from a different background in music and I think it shows whenever we write or perform. Every song on our album is different from each other and I think it's cool to have those differences while still being cohesive.'
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''Hands' is the most simple song on the record but the lyrics behind it carry the weight. I have always had an appreciation for lyrics that paint pictures in your head, and I think the last few lines in this song do that. I am really happy with all the lyrics on the album though. It's captured a part of my life that I wanted to share. Hopefully, people can relate to it too!' Brent beams, rightfully so. This track is melancholy and sickeningly simplistic, with creeping vocals and trudging drum-work (Liam Hart). Its relatability is gut-wrenching but is portrayed so softly that you barely even notice that you're curled up on the floor crying. The amount of care these guys bled into this album is incredible. j
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'It's almost like we are a recipe for disaster... But when you eat it, it's a sweet dish.'
'Temporary Love' trickles into existence with 'Pretty Eyes', a solemnly heartfelt track that blisters into a more angsty rhythm, 'So tell me / Will you hurt me, baby?', exposing the developmental and cold-hard-reality nature of this band. Each track ebbs and flows, cascading throughout the verses into waves of raw emotion and wisdom-woven choruses. Leading single, 'Headaches' is abrupt and unforgiving in its lyricism, coupled with Certainty's flair for easily expressing such hard-hitting songs with a breezy feel. The energy in this track is palpable, as agreed on by Brent (McSwiggan, Guitar / Vocals), 'We have been playing 'Headaches' for a little bit now and it's always the highlight for everyone in the band and audience. We usually play it last and it's just a good vibe to end the set with. Love when people dance to it.'
I agree entirely that this whole album is shuddering with energy, balled together by the vulnerability and intricacy displayed in its creation. 'As far as new songs go, I think we are all pretty excited to play 'Veneer' and 'Liars Dice' since they are the most dynamic part of the album. It will be interesting to see how they will fit in our set.' This is understandable anticipation, as the peak of the album is the stitching between these two tracks. 'Veneer' feels like the equivalent of inhaling petrichor, its vitality clouding through you with the sole intention of cleansing every element of you. 'Liars Dice' is shuttled into, as though the cleanness you just inhaled is now erupting into an ashy storm, smouldering in your stomach. This transition perfectly demonstrates Certainty's ability to express a human reaction to events through realism, documenting the transition between sadness, repression, self-doubt and fury. 'Liars Dice' is incoming mayhem, it is thunder-stricken guitars (Brent McSwiggan, Tyler Greig, Conor Gray), it is blustering in the best way.
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| Source: 'Headaches' Official Music Video by Certainty |
'...Sew me with the skyline...'
It is evident in this haven of consolation titled, 'Temporary Love', that Certainty have only the purest of aspirations. The pastel aesthetics of the album art and in turn the new era radiate a blossoming joy that bubbles in the ears of the listeners, allowing this release to humbly embrace those that choose to welcome it. 'We are just here to have a good time and make new friends,' the band says, 'There's nothing better than sharing a vibe with a bunch of strangers. The biggest message we have for people is to love and care for another. Despite our album being called, 'Temporary Love' (which is on the more intimate side of things), it is free to love one another and to care for one [another's] wellbeing. We've always been very vocal about mental health and we forever will be. Take care of your friends and enjoy your life while you have it! At the end of the day, it's all about love. So if we can manage to do that through music, we are doing it right.'
'August' dwindles into the album's conclusion, with a bassline that serves to drive home the floral tone of the album, once and for all (Justin Kneel). After my third or fourth listen, this album continues to brush over me with waves of undeterminable emotion. Certainty are blushing the alternative scene in a newfound complexity; the days of overplayed, chunky tracks with flailing lyrics are over - Certainty are revolutionary and boundless, 'We have our album release show with Trash Boat in October which is going to be sick as hell. As far as the long term, I think we are going to go to a cottage to write the next album and keep the ball rollin'.'
'You never know what's going to happen and that's the beautiful part about it.'
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| Source: www.releasewave.com |
