Those Damn Crows: Inhale Beauty, Exhale Brutality
Breathwork can cover a multitude of sins. Whether it be to improve mental, physical, or spiritual well-being, there are also a variety of methods. Whatever the preference may be between box breathing, the 7/11 method, or diaphragmatic, they all have one thing in common. They allow us to take a moment’s respite and focus simply on the functionality of keeping ourselves alive. The breath can separate us from an impulsive reaction and a well-thought out response. It’s this phenomenon which takes centre stage for THOSE DAMN CROWS’ latest album Inhale/Exhale.
“It’s literally an emotional – I don’t wanna say rollercoaster because everybody says that – but it is an emotional pull,” vocalist Shane Greenhall tells us. Written somewhat as a response to 2021’s Point Of No Return, Inhale/Exhale provides an aural tale of THOSE DAMN CROWS trying to navigate itself through the very human impact of life both during and post-pandemic. This resulted in an unintentionally darker sound for the band. “We didn’t go in thinking we needed to make this album at all, but it kind of came out that way,” Shane laughs. “We had so much to say but we weren’t really conscious of it until we actually got in the studio and did our thing.”
Yet in times of trouble, solutions come through like THE BEATLES’ Mother Mary. This innate need to problem solve culminates in an empowering message through the darkness. Things may be difficult but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. “I don’t know how else to write to be honest,” Shane comments on the duality of the record. “Take the musicianship out of the equation; whatever the situation is, there is always a silver lining. If one door shuts, another one opens. And I’ve always been like that.”
Until that silver lining appears though, many feel naturally despondent or empty. Shane uses Fill The Void to address his own experiences. The opening track may feel aggressive at first listen but it utilises a harshness some of us have employed ourselves. Citing conversations he’s had with himself during carpet fitting, Shane comments, “Fill The Void is me dragging myself out of this situation where I am feeling down or depressed, or I’m in a place where I need to take control again.” Going one step further, Shane presents the imagery of standing in front of a grave you’ve made yourself, the action of filling the empty space and carrying on regardless of what feelings are happening.
“Perspective is everything” is the answer to how Shane has dealt with past demons. We dive into a life lesson somewhat unexpectedly as a result as he says; “we all want to see the picture laid out in front of us but I think I’ve accepted that is never the case. If you are more aware of that, it’s easier when shit hits the fan to sort of reanalyse what’s important and what’s not.” It’s sad to say nothing gives us more perspective than death. While we grieve for the soul that’s moved on, we are confronted with our own mortality and how our priorities are a little messed up. Inhale/Exhale has THOSE DAMN CROWS confronting that very phenomenon. As Shane addresses the loss of his father more openly eleven years after the fact, other band members have also had parental loss over the making of this record.
It’s a perspective none of us want to gain. Some of us are haunted by the very prospect. We want to take the message of This Time I’m Ready and become the person our parents can be proud of. Though we would like to reiterate parents should be proud of us regardless of where we are on the arbitrary timeline of life. It’s a standard we put on ourselves which we sometimes can never live up to. Which is where Wake Up (Sleepwalker) comes into play. How many hours have we spent doom scrolling Instagram, picking our realities apart so we can have a life like these synthetic highlight reels? Is other people’s perception of us really so important that we would drive ourselves into the ground for the fleeting validation of someone liking a photograph?
“I think as human beings our expectations sometimes are not realistic. I think we’re all way too hard on ourselves” Shane muses as we talk about self-acceptance. Inhale/Exhale has a driving message of we are much more capable than we think we are. While certain life events take the wind out of our sails, we’re still in the boat and that isn’t something to be taken for granted. “We’re not here long” Shane laughs, “but we should give ourselves the best experience we can and this album is about that balance.”
It feels almost cliché of us to ask what the biggest takeaway from an album should be. Yet it’s a question which seems isn’t posed enough. To that end, the answer we get from Shane takes a moment to come. The primary is to have a good time listening to an album from beginning to end as it’s an activity many of us no longer relish in. The second is much more poignant yet obvious after a run-through of the record; “Realise that as brutal as life is, it’s fucking beautiful as well.”
Inhale/Exhale is out now via Earache Records.
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