Metallic hardcore heroes Ithaca have returned with apoplectic new single They Fear Us, the title-track from their upcoming second album, due July 29 via Hassle Records.
With juddering staccato riffs and a massive chorus courtesy of vocalist Djamila Boden Azzouz, the band come back with all the fire and frenzy that had us so excited when their debut album The Language Of Injury arrived in 2019.
"We never wanted to leave it that long!" Azzouz tells Hammer. "The reception to the last album was so much better than we'd ever dreamed it would be, so I worried we'd lose some momentum. But even dropping a teaser for the single, got people saying how excited they were and that got us excited".
Recorded with Lewis Johns (Rolo Tomassi, Conjurer, Employed To Serve; just about every other exciting British band you've heard of in the last few years), Ithaca describe They Fear Us as the start of a whole new era for the group. Afforded over three times the length of time they spent working on The Language Of Injury, the band decided to make full use of the studio to get experimental. Hammer caught up with Azzouz to talk the new era of Ithaca.
Watch the video for They Fear Us below.
What made you lead with the title track for They Fear Us?
"The song encapsulates the themes of the album itself. It stands on its own and is very different to anything we’ve done before. A lot of people liked the last album because there was a lot of emotion in it, it was dark and very personal. This is too, but in a very different way. It’s a lot angrier, more of a statement than anything else. The themes talk about inner power, femininity and how people are afraid of us... and should be afraid of us.”
What would you say is the main 'theme' of the album, if one exists?
"There’s a lot less sadness this time out and a lot more anger," Azzouz says. "It's about divine femininity, but also about rebuilding and reclaiming yourself. Musically you can hear our individual personalities as a band; our backgrounds, where we come from and who we are. It’s about not being constrained by anything, be that musically or emotionally. When we were writing it I was thinking we spent so much time looking for acceptance but realised it was kind of stupid to chase that. If we’re not wanted, fuck it we don’t care."
What did that kind of freedom do for the creative process?
“Without sounding wanky, we wanted to approach it in a collaborative way – we didn’t want to feel like we were just writing an album, we wanted to curate it and make sure it fit who we are. Even with the last album we had lots of friends involved, but we’re using a lot more instruments this time and it really shows. There’s loads of programmed synth, live synth – things like a Yamaha DX7 which was so, so cool to play in the studio and a big Fender Rhodes to get those 70s organ sounds.
There are so many different elements and influences, but not in a way where I think it could sound messy – it really pulls itself together. We wanted to experiment with percussion more. It’s fun to listen to because you can see where all these different influences are, everything from Deftones to Prince, Van Halen and Talking Heads.”
It sounds like there’ll be plenty of surprises then!
“Loads! I think people will shit. People have an idea of what we sound like and They Fear Us as a single will be a bit of a surprise, because even though it's still pretty heavy there’s still a different sound. The journey the album takes will probably really surprise people; there’s gospel in there and I think you’re either going to be very confused, or completely get it. Maybe both!”
Where do you feel Ithaca fit in with the British heavy music scene right now?
“We feel… lost in it, having not been able to go to shows for so long. On a personal level I feel completely out the loop. Even as a band I don’t know where we fit in anymore because we tried so hard with the ‘no you should listen to us because we’re a metal band' or a hardcore band, or whatever. But with this record we’ve just been like 'fuck it, we’ll do what we want'.”
How was it working with Lewis Johns?
“I have nothing but good things to say about Lewis. It was such a good experience for the entire band and he’s a great collaborator. A lot of the synths on the album were written by him so he took a real producing role, getting these incredible sounds that are purely on him. I think that’s one of the things that makes him so special and has really given him the reputation he has. He gave our ideas and what we wanted to do a lot of room to breathe, which a lot of producers won’t. It helped we had a lot more time – our first album was done in nine days, this one took almost a month."
How did the experience compare to The Language Of Injury?
"On a personal level, I don’t like recording – there is nothing I won’t do to get out of it. I really did not have a good time recording that first album and it was a bad time for me, really emotional and awful. I wasn’t looking forward to that again but Lewis was so understanding and knew what to do to get the best performance out of everyone.”
Do you embrace your status as one of the most outspoken figures in the British heavy music scene, or feel it was thrust upon you somewhat?
“I do this to myself! I will pick fights, but only with people who deserve it. Because of that it's bled into the music and I’ve become a kind of spokesperson. I am happy to do it – there are people who do want a platform and don’t get it for whatever reason, from marginalised communities. There are things that are uncomfortable to talk about and I don’t really want to have to say, but they need to be said and spoken about. I can’t hope to be somebody people will listen to if I don’t care about other people and reciprocate the trust they put in me.”
They Fear Us is due July 29 via Hassle Records
They Fear Us track list:
1. In The Way
2. The Future Says Thank You
3. They Fear Us
4. Camera Eats First
5. Cremation Party
6. Number Five
7. Fluorescent
8. You Should Have Gone Back
9. Hold, Be Held
