25th February 2024
Following the release of their debut single, Internal Fix, Auckland-based Black Gravel City are ready to unleash their second song, Sink or Swim, on 29th February 2024. Formed from members who built their experience in a range of former bands, they sit somewhere between hard rock and aggressive metallic influences.
Sink or Swim, is an honest reflection on internal struggle and a desire for personal change. Black Gravel City visit a wide range of sub-genres within their songs. Musically, on Sink or Swim, verses sit firmly within progressive metal influences accompanied by Kerry Cooper’s growling vocals. Opening with a muted, pulsating rhythm, a juddering, insistent riff soon materialises as Cooper evokes a feeling of time slipping away. Just wait and breath (wait and breath) / To the point we're I'm letting go / All I see (all I see) / Is the sand that's dropping slow. A sense of urgency and desperation in the lyrics and music, balanced with a glimmer of hope, suggests a need to pause and find calm amidst chaos. The second verse allows the listener to witness the development of the protagonist’s inner reflections, during which he labels and recognises his fears but keeps them suppressed. All my fears (all my fears) / Bottled up with the label on / Stuff it down (stuff it down) / Nothing to ask for a carry on.
Juxtapositions of chaos and calm are revisited throughout the track. Djent-lite rhythms on bass (from Ian Miller) and drums bridge the verse to the chorus, with Cooper displaying his range with melodic vocals. The protagonist reflects on the transient nature of those we look up to, implying heroic actions are fleeting or that heroes are forgotten or discarded by society. There is a sense of disillusionment with figures who are supposed to inspire or lead. Heroes come and go, but we don’t know where they go / Screwed up and thrown away / If defy.
Production and mixing on Sink or Swim is well handled and the ever-changing balances between the forceful, sinewy guitars, some excellent double-kick drum work (particularly during a short, hostile section just under three minutes into the track) and the more euphonious elements are congruously linked.
Ever more harmonious elements and a change of tempo during the chorus suggest that a commitment to change has already begun and that better times are ahead. Can I replace my demons for focus, my ego for anything / My intentions already in motion / Defy. Listening to the song when writing this review, it initially appeared that Cooper’s growling vocals were stronger than his clean vocals; however, with repeated listens and deeper understanding of the lyrics, the transition between the two becomes increasingly easy to enjoy. Ending with the most belligerent vocals of the track, the phrase Sink or Swim is repeated and driven home with intensity, leading to the final realisation that a choice must be made.
Listeners who prefer songs to remain more consistent in their use of metal or rock throughout may find that Black Gravel City cover too wide a range of colours and textures within one song. However, these changes are effectively linked to the lyrical content, reflective of the protagonist’s state of mind and, for the most part, work without being jarring. Sink or Swim is a song that needs repeated plays to extract all that it has to offer. Black Gravel City will no doubt attract more to their cause with the release this single and it will be interesting to see what future releases will bring.
Sink or Swim is released on 29th February 2024.
Follow or listen to Black Gravel City here: https://linktr.ee/blackgravelcity
