Album/EP

Inertia - Connexion (EP Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Apr 13, 2020

7 min read

Inertia - Connexion
Released: April 17th, 2020

Line up:

Online:

Facebook
Instagram
Website

Has quarantine got you down? Are you sick of the sound of your own voice? Do you need some Aussie Post-hardcore/Metalcore? If you answered yes to even one of those questions, then Inertia's new EP Connexion will get you through your isolation blues.

Starting the album off is the catchy ‘Running on Empty’ that had me singing along to the chorus straight away. This song has incredible guitars behind the chorus and such great bass lines. Next up is ‘Heavy Eyes’ which was the first single to come off the EP and it follows suit. Jay Cusack's driving drumming is a massive highlight on this song and it has yet another fantastic chorus that shows off vocalist Julian Latouche’s soaring pipes.

Speaking of pipes, latest single ‘Reminisce’ features not only Latouche’s but those of the incredible Lizi Blanco from The Beautiful Monument. Starting off slow and melodic, the song bursts into a HUGE chorus with both Blanco and Latouche putting all of their feelings into the chorus "Do you think of me?" It's a pained and soulful break-up song that dwells on the lingering feelings after the initial bitterness fades. About the song, Latouche explains "I wanted to write a break-up song that wasn’t spiteful or full of hate because that’s not real and it’s not what I experienced from the somewhat healthy relationship I had. I read all the conversations we had and tried to get the perspective from the both of us and how we were coping with it." In true Lizi Blanco style, her verse is incredible, and her voice lends itself to the emotions of the song. Latouche’s screamed bridge is powerful, and the transitions between screams and cleans in this (and all songs) are flawless.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVBVfjOPxcs&w=640&h=360]

There are absolutely no lowlights on this EP, and it's hard to distinguish the highlights because each song is just as good as each other, but ‘Savior (To Know)’ is one that stands out. While the lyrics and vocals are the parts of songs I usually focus on, my brain often brings other elements to the front for me, and this is the case with good bass lines. Oliver Smith's bass in this song stuck out to me straight away. Yet again this song has a fantastic chorus and the incredible guitars played by Mark Williamson and Jesse Radloff weave their way around the melody. Where ‘Reminisce’ was a nicer/sad, break-up song ‘Savior’ seems to be a bitter/angry one. The chorus says "I hope you realise you only want what's mine / I hope you realise the truth is in your eyes” and Latouche screams “The fucking things you put me through” at the beginning of the heavy breakdown.

Another highlight is the slow banger ‘Disguise’ which gave me goosebumps from the first listen and I know will be the intense, slower moment in live sets. This song has every ingredient for my next most played obsession; passionate lyrics, soaring vocals, catchy chorus, excellent instrumentation and my favourite thing- a damn good guitar solo.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-kMmwNucZE&w=640&h=360]

For the final song on the EP, Inertia has done something a little different to the norm. Where bands often finish with a slower more melodic song, they have closed out with the heaviest song on the EP. The instrumentation in this song is so fantastically technical, there are so many different parts, and it is a great way to finish strong. Its name, ‘The Disease’ is also very apt for the way the world is at the moment.

Between the release of the band’s 2017 EP Unlearn there was a change of vocalist with Latouche taking the reins in 2018. In the two years since their last release, it is clear the band have been busy honing their craft and Connexion is an incredible step up. For this EP Inertia has added more of the electronic elements that genre leaders like Northlane and Polaris litter through their songs and it seems that Latouche has done away with the “blerghs” that featured heavily on the last EP. In the past few years, the band has been busy gracing the stage with the likes of Void of Vision, Ocean Grove and Story of the Year but this EP proves the band are ready for their domination of the post-hardcore/metalcore genre.

If you like the more melodic side of bands like Northlane and Polaris, you absolutely need to give Inertia a listen. I doubt it will be long before these guys reach the heights their metalcore forefathers have.